Feb. 23, 2025

Non-LDS BYU Black Athletes (Dr Darron Smith)

Show Notes

This is a throwback interview from 2017. Dr Darron Smith discusses non-LDS BYU Black athletes. He teaches at University of Memphis and is the author of “When Race, Religion, and Sport Collide.” He examines the honor code, graduation rate, and race relations at BYU. He compares their racial record with other famous Christian athletes, including Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin. We’ll also discuss Indian mascots in professional & college sports. Check out our conversation….

https://youtu.be/YZv_onL5Kp8

Don’t miss our other conversations about black Mormon History: https://gospeltangents.com/mormon_history/black-mormon-history/

transcript to follow

Gospel Tangents

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0:00 Overview

6:12 Statistics on Black Athletes at BYU

29:06 Challenges Faced by Black Athletes at BYU

30:59 Honor Code

31:31 Comparisons with Other Institutions

36:43 Graduation Rates/Systemic Issues

38:59 Unionization/Pay for College Athletes

47:09 Racism and Representation in Sports

52:52 Impact of Past Traumas

1:08:49 BYU’s Aspirations/Challenges in Joining the Big 12

1:12:58 Parallels Between Black Athletes and Gay Athletes

1:15:41 Black 14 of Wyoming

1:21:09 Racism and Institutionalized Discrimination

1:22:32 Empathy and Mindfulness in Addressing Racism

Gospel Tangents