Dear BYUtv ... It's Time

BYU Rugby needs BYUtv ... just like  BYUtv needs BYU Rugby!    

If you've been paying attention to recent BYU Rugby news and commentary, you'll know that a plethora of BYU fans the nation over have been clamoring for quality live coverage of BYU Rugby games to be provided by BYUtv. To spur on this effort, the BYU Rugby team just recently started a campaign wherein anyone can submit their contact information and comments to be sent directly to BYUtv for this purpose.

I urge everyone and anyone to join in the campaign. It's not just for the benefit of a few BYU Rugby Fans in Utah; rather, it improves the whole of the Rugby community, nationally and even internationally, in so many ways. By getting BYU Rugby back on BYUtv, the bar will be raised while BYUtv will be recognized as the primary pioneering support thereof. The time is now for BYUtv to fully embrace and support BYU's most successful sport, Rugby!

If you haven't yet submitted your thoughts, do so now on the BYU Rugby website!!!

Finally, to add a little more fuel, allow me to share my thoughts that I sent to BYUtv:

Dear BYUtv Management:

While it must be obvious by now that the BYU Men's Rugby team is one of the most successful BYU Sports teams, perhaps the resultant popularity and fan support thereof has not similarly been appreciated. This past Saturday, the annual rivalry match between BYU and Utah, the 'Wasatch Cup', brought 3,833 paid spectators in the first half alone. A conservative estimate of increased attendance in the second half would easily push this number above 4,500, if not to 5,000 ... certainly not a far cry from South Field's attendance record for Women's Soccer (listed as 4,742 for BYU vs. Colorado on 09/08/06).

Perhaps even more important than this swelling of local support for BYU Rugby is the increasing support of and attention to the sport of Rugby in the United States, not to mention the popularity of the sport that is already deeply entrenched around the World. Fans everywhere, foreign and domestic, unified by LDS Church membership, love to see 'their team' win in one of the most dynamic and demanding sports known to mankind. And again more importantly, fans everywhere, foreign and domestic, not members of the LDS Church but nonetheless unified by love of the sport, enjoy seeing solid competition and sportsmanship, especially given BYU's elite status in American Rugby.

This situation presents a two-fold opportunity for BYUtv. First, it's a chance to claim a pioneering position in the realm of college rugby media where there is presently little to no professional competition. By establishing BYUtv as the portal for the display of college rugby, fans throughout the US will quickly know where they can go to see college rugby presented in the best quality way. Call it a golden opportunity to 'get in on the ground floor' while Rugby is still young in the United States.

Second, compound this opportunity to be a pioneer for Rugby in America by considering the impact of humanitarian and missionary messages shared with viewers in conjunction with the sport. Throughout the past century, Rugby has proven to be a great ambassador for good throughout the world, even recently enjoying inclusion for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Just imagine the synergy created by joining this force for good with what we members of the LDS Church know to be the greatest force for good in existence, the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Suffice it to say that the effects, especially on an international level, have the potential to far outweigh that of any BYU sport, even Football. The Gospel is universal. Rugby is universal. Present them together, and two universal worlds are united and magnified for the better. 

According to the BYUtv.org main page, "BYU Broadcasting is an integrated media organization that inspires people to see, do, and be the good in the world by providing uplifting content, magnifying the university, engaging like-minded communities, and elevating ideals into action." If there exists a BYU sport most closely aligned with this mission, it is BYU Rugby. The setting at this very moment in time and place is ideal. Before it's too late, before BYU Rugby grows even bigger in popularity and recognition, BYUtv has the singular opportunity, even now, to be the universal ambassador for BYU's greatest sport.

With all my hope and might, I urge you to regularly incorporate BYU Rugby games and spots into your seasonal broadcast schedule. We, the BYU Rugby Fan community, aren't just anxious for your support; we're willing to offer our support as well to see it happen. If there is anything that we can do to advance and enable the process, please don't hesitate to advise us.

Best regards and BYU Rugby Forever!