What Does the Deseret News and BYU Football Have to do With an Empire?
Within a twelve-hour period, the shape of the Latter Day Saints media operations has been turned on its side. While some see the downsizing of the Deseret News to be a sign of financial weakness, I see that move and the independence of church owned Brigham Young University football to be the foundation of a Mormon media empire. Let’s go back a few steps though and let me explain why I’ve come to this conclusion. I’m a college football fan. It is my favorite spectator sport. Off season usually has a merry-go-round of coaching changes. This off-season the merry-go-round included conference realignment. First it was the possibility of the Big 12 dissolving and then a PAC-10 superconference. What wound up happening was a complete realignment in the West…namely the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. Soon after Utah accepted a move to the PAC 10, we were made aware of BYU’s desire to go independent in football and move its other sports to a new conference. Plans to
