SALT LAKE CITY — Sports are usually simple. There are rules, rights and wrongs, makes and misses, wins and losses. It’s black and white, I think it’s a big reason fans like sports.

Sports can also be extremely complex. Politics, social norms, taboos, human rights and civil rights often find themselves at the epicenter of athletes and athletic competitions. I think it’s a big reason fans love sports.

For the past several months, BYU had a simple questions when it came to Big 12 expansion, would it get in or not?

Now, that question has ventured into complexity, namely, if BYU doesn’t get into the Big 12, then why not?

On Monday night, Fox Sports’ Stewart Mandel released an article highlighting 25 LGBTQ groups that sent a letter to Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and each of the 10 current Big 12 member schools, asking them to reject BYU as a potential expansion candidate.

Bowlsby now has to decide which poison pill to take, expansion with BYU at the risk of alienating the LGBTQ community, or excluding BYU at the risk of alienating those believing such an action would exemplify religious persecution.

It’s not unfamiliar territory for BYU.

When the Pac-12 expanded from 10 teams to 12, BYU was largely ignored in expansion talks. While many cite the conference’s preference for research institutions, others questioned whether the LDS Church’s public support of Proposition 8 in California, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, prevented the conference’s progressive schools from considering BYU for expansion.

The issue of religious freedom and the LDS Church recently became a hot national topic when Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson said “under the guise of religious freedom, anybody can do anything. Back to Mormonism. Why shouldn't somebody be able to shoot somebody else because their freedom of religion says that God has spoken to them and that they can shoot somebody dead?"

Related:

LGBTQ groups urge Big 12 not to add BYU in expansion

A group of prominent gay rights organizations have entered the discussion involving Big 12 expansion.

However, while Bowlsby’s decision on expansion is an unenviable one, he’s in the right arena to debate it. Sports have often found themselves at the cross section of public opinion and politics, while colleges are the ideal ground to discuss major issues.

From Jackie Robinson in baseball to Muhammad Ali in boxing to Jason Collins in basketball, athletes and sports have often played an important role spreading awareness for public causes. College athletics often provide fertile land for conversation regarding those causes.

Last November, Missouri’s football team said it would boycott all football related activities until school President Tim Wolfe resigned over the mishandling of several racially charged incidents on campus. Wolfe resigned, coincidentally just in time for the Tigers to take the football field against BYU.

In July of 2014, the University of Utah altered its fight song to feature more inclusive language, though ultimately university officials said the traditional lyrics were still acceptable.

In 1966, the Texas Western basketball program won the NCAA Tournament with an all-black starting line-up, eventually leading to the integration of the SEC conference.

It’s not easy to discuss these complex issues, especially when they intertwine with sports, which are often used as an escape from the world’s most difficult problems. But despite these difficulties, and the impact they may have on BYU’s candidacy for the Big 12, there isn’t a better arena than sports for the conference to host this complicated conversation. That’s why we love them.

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