PROVO, UTAH
BYU sports teams do a lot to excel and to gain exposure for the university and its sponsoring Church. But one thing they will not do is compete on the Sabbath.
It's in writing.
Section 4.5.3 of the BYU Department of Athletics Policies and Procedures Manual states: "Athletic participation, including practice and competitions, is prohibited on Sundays."
The foundation for the policy is Exodus 20:8 — "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy," and faith that the commandment is the word of God revealed through His prophet Moses and reaffirmed continually by prophets through the modern day.
The reason for the policy is faith-based, according to Janie Penfield, BYU associate athletic director and senior woman administrator.
She said during a recent Church News interview, "As a university that's not only funded by, but also represents the LDS Church in many ways, we have that accountability that we're straight in alignment with not only what the prophets teach but what the scriptures say. We need to be that firm example and I'm so grateful that we can have the opportunity to do that."
She added that there are individual LDS athletes at other schools around the country who do their best to live the gospel and are good examples, but at BYU, the entire institution must be the example.
So far, it has worked out well for BYU. Opponents and conferences have been cooperative with the BYU policy that seems more and more out of step with the world's clamoring for Sabbath entertainment, including sports.
The NCAA itself has a bylaw that protects BYU from having to compete on Sundays in championships. It states: "If a participating institution has a written policy against competition on a particular day for religious reasons, it shall submit its written policy to the governing sports committee on or before September 1 of each academic year in order for it or one of its student-athletes to be excused from competing on that day. The championship schedule shall be adjusted to accommodate that institution, and such adjustment shall not require its team or an individual competitor to compete prior to the time originally scheduled."
"So we submit a letter to the NCAA every year reaffirming that it is our institutional policy to not participate in competition on Sunday," said Sister Penfield of the Slate Canyon 11th Ward, Provo Utah Stake.
Since the bylaw was passed in 1998, it hasn't come into play.
But there was a close call last spring when the BYU softball team advanced to the NCAA super regionals where it lost to Arizona. If the Cougars had won, they would have participated in the College World Series which had Sunday games scheduled. The NCAA and ESPN, which broadcasts all the world series games nationwide, would have had to be prepared to make scheduling adjustments to accommodate BYU.
"The last thing you want to do is make life more difficult for someone else, but we sure are grateful when they're willing to make that extra effort to support us in our convictions," Sister Penfield said.
She said her feelings were that, though it would have been a headache for her colleagues to reschedule the World Series to keep BYU out of Sunday competition, they were still supportive of the Cougars.
The potential for scheduling conflicts are very real because almost all NCAA sports feed into Sunday play in the championship brackets, Sister Penfield said. She explained that when BYU gets a bid, its nameplate on the seeding board is red while all the other schools are black so that BYU can be kept track of and not put into a bracket that leads to Sunday play.
As one of the BYU's liaisons with the NCAA, Sister Penfield said if a call comes from the NCAA that may include the plea, "Could we maybe schedule you on Sunday," it falls on her to reconfirm, "I'm so sorry. I realize it would make life a lot easier for you and we're grateful for all the work you do, but we will not be competing on Sunday."
Eliminating Sunday from scheduling can be hard for BYU's foes. Sister Penfield said, "We're grateful for what people do for us." She said some even appreciate BYU's firm adherence to the Sabbath because, though their institutions can't adopt the same restrictions, their personal beliefs align with BYU's.
Because of the foundation of BYU's Sabbath policy in the doctrine of the Church, Sister Penfield said the policy will not be changed. She said she believes everyone involved in BYU athletics is supportive of that.
Athletes and coaches just work hard and prepare well in the time available to maintain success. And though Sister Penfield doesn't believe keeping the commandments translates directly into wins, "I think it translates into better, fuller lives with an opportunity to be closer to the Spirit."
And, she concluded of the BYU policy, "We need to make sure that where we can be perfect, we are. And we can be perfect in not participating in competition on Sunday."
