What is the Sunday play policy, or “BYU rule”?
NCAA rules state that if a university competing in an NCAA championship has a written policy against competition on a particular day for religious reasons, the championship schedule must be adjusted to accommodate that institution.* Brigham Young University has a written policy against Sunday play, and therefore will have schedules adjusted to play on Saturday or Monday, even if it involves changing televised or otherwise broadcast events. In April 1998 the NCAA Division I Board of Directors struck controversy when it attempted to eliminate its long-standing policy that allowed for some flexibility with regard to Sunday play. Only BYU and Campbell University of North Carolina objected to the rescinding of the rule, which was left in place. The rule calls for teams to formally register their refusal to play on certain days with the NCAA before the season starts, and the NCAA must respect the no-play policy for Sundays. *From the NCAA official website at www.ncaa.
