With so many avenues and options to get the latest information on sports, why do fans visit online forums, such as team message boards? Recent research from BYU communications professors found the reason many fans get online to read and post about their favorite sports team tells a lot about the type of fan they are. As part of the study, a group of sports fans who visit sports forums at least weekly ranked a series of statements. These included things like “I feel a sense of community with the other users of sports forums,” or “I like to visit sports forums for entertainment when I’m bored.” Researchers then interviewed participants to obtain a better understanding of their rankings. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data lead to the classification of three different types of online sports fans: tailgaters, trivia seekers and bandwagon fans. Read the full article at news.byu.edu

The American dream is often associated with the idea that anyone can make it in America.

Recent research from BYU communications professors found the reason many fans get online to read and post about their favorite sports team tells a lot about the type of fan they are.

BYU Column: From Brazil to California — an Animator’s Path to Pixar

The Utah map is endowed with a significant number of scriptural monikers, some of which will be familiar to readers of the Bible while others are unique to the Book of Mormon. These are at the heart of Daniel George’s project, God to Go West. George is a professor of art at BYU who received his MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and his BFA from BYU-Idaho. For his project, he has photographed a score of locations in Utah that bear scriptural names given to them by early settlers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Few of these black-and-white photographs are striking, the range of grays eschewing any sense of black so that shadows and highlights disappear or become negligible (George’s is definitely not Ansel Adams’ high-contrast vision of the West). Benefit of the doubt suggests this is not due to a lack of skill but to a purposeful strategy — a desire to emphasize the semantic rather than the aesthetic nature of George’s project. Read the full story by Shawn Rossiter at artistsofutah.org.

Wish Fulfilment is at the Heart of Art-Making for Ceramist Gian Pierotti

Students participated in a jam session with the accomplished bluegrass duo

Cutri’s documentary examines the world of extreme sports including socio-economic factors and peak in participation Extreme sports continue to fascinate and entertain the public even after their long history beginning in the 1950s. It is nearly impossible to peel your eyes from the seemingly superhuman feats athletes perform as they fly, jump and twist through the air. Safety is put on the backburner as participants appear to defy human limitations. In recent years, there has been a boom in the popularity of these kinds of sports. Although School of Communications professor Chris Cutri does not participate in extreme sports himself, he is passionate about understanding the spike in participation because of his previous projects focused on the sociology of sports. “These pursuits are becoming more and more common,” Cutri said. “I wanted to find out why.” The documentary — filmed entirely in black and white — was recently picked up by First Run Features — a prominent distributor of independent films based in New York City. Cutri’s film explores the psychology of extreme sports such as wingsuit jumping, ultramarathons and highlining. Read the full article on the School of Communications website.

Dancers from the International Folk Dance Ensemble worked with artists from across the world to bring a diverse performance to BYU

Rector encouraged students to pursue musical collaboration regardless of fame or fortune

Woods emphasized key principles of faith and personal revelation in translating works of art

Students Attend and Present Research at National Dance Education Conference