LDS bashing by sports fans crosses the line

It's a dangerous world out there. You never know who you might offend.

Don't like spiders? Better keep it to yourself. Mention the word "icky" and you might have the Arachnid Club of America on your case.

When you get into religion or ethnicity, though, you're wading into even deeper waters. Just ask Mike Smith, the former BYU player and current Los Angeles Clippers TV analyst. Earlier this season, he and co-host Ralph Lawler were discussing the Memphis Grizzlies' Hamed Haddadi.

Where's he from?" said Lawler.

"He's the first Iranian to play in the NBA," said Smith.

But Smith inadvertently pronounced Iranian as "Eye-ranian," prompting a viewer to complain to Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

The discussion had continued for a few seconds regarding Haddadi, but news reports claimed Smith's pronunciation was the impetus behind the complaint.

Apologies were quickly issued and Smith and Lawler were suspended for a game.

They can only hope nobody from Kyrgyzstan makes it in the league.

I bring this up because such concern for feelings doesn't seem to always apply. Saturday at San Diego State, BYU players and fans were exposed to a group of Aztec students, wearing missionary-like suits and white shirts, bicycle helmets and name tags. That's actually pretty funny. I say that on fairly good authority, considering I was once a missionary in San Diego and wore the same kind of suit.

And looked just as geeky.

But what wasn't funny was the part near the game's end when BYU fans chanted, "BYU Cougars!" and the hecklers responded with obscene gestures and taunts of "You're still Mormon!"

Sometimes there's a thin line whether it's BYU or the LDS Church that's being vilified, but either way, BYU is well acquainted with such treatment. I covered BYU games at Wyoming in the '80s when large portions of the crowd chanted, "(Expletive) you, BYU!"

It may not have been directed at Mormons, but for the players I talked to, it sure felt like it.

In 1995, when Roger Reid was coaching the Cougars, a Colorado State fan approached from several rows behind the BYU bench to scream obscenities and religious taunts at Reid. In that case, CSU did the right thing, removing the fan from the arena.