The Latter Day Lens

Should the Government Regulate College Sports? (ep. 187)

• Shawn & Matt

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What happens when conservative principles collide with government power?

This week on The Latter Day Lens, Matt and Shawn are joined by Porter for a wide-ranging conversation about gambling, government regulation, college athletes, modesty, war, presidential power, Christmas music, and what it means to live your faith in the real world.

Should the Government Regulate College Sports?

The U.S. Senate has just passed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, 77–22. The legislation would establish federal rules governing name, image, and likeness compensation, transfers, revenue sharing, athlete protections, and other aspects of college athletics. It now heads to the House.

Supporters argue that Congress needs to bring stability to a chaotic college-sports environment and protect athletes and less-profitable Olympic sports. Critics—including the NAACP—argue that the legislation gives too much power to universities and athletic conferences while restricting athletes' ability to bargain collectively.

So here's the question:

Should the federal government regulate college sports at all?

And more broadly, should a supposedly conservative Republican Congress be telling young adults how much money they can earn, where they can transfer, and how they can use their name and image?

Is Gambling Morally Wrong—and Should Government Ban It?

President D. Todd Christofferson recently spoke directly about the explosion of gambling, calling gambling morally wrong and warning that it can become consuming and crowd out productive activities. He emphasized the difference between contributing value through work and gaining at another person's expense. Read the Church's General Conference coverage of his remarks.

That raises a fascinating political question:

When the Church teaches that something is morally wrong, should Latter-day Saints try to make it illegal?

Matt thinks government sometimes has a legitimate role in restricting harmful behavior. Shawn is much more skeptical of using the government to enforce morality.

The conversation gets even more complicated when they discuss prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which have increasingly blurred the line between gambling and financial markets.

And then the question gets very uncomfortable:

If gambling should be illegal because it harms society, what else should be illegal?

Does the Church Have a Modesty Standard for Athletic Clothing?

A controversy involving BYU cross-country runners raises another familiar question: Does Church modesty guidance apply to athletic clothing?

The conversation takes an unexpected turn as Porter digs into decades of Church teaching about modesty and discovers a significant shift from very specific standards toward a more principle-based approach.

The Church's current teaching emphasizes honoring the body as a sacred gift and allowing the Spirit to guide decisions about clothing and appearance. A 2017 Church publication also explicitly taught children to be kind rather than judge others for how they dress. Read "Modesty Means..." from The Friend.

So what changed?

And perhaps more importantly:

Is it our job to decide whether someone else is sufficiently modest?

Is American Military Power Being Used for Profit?

The conversation then takes a dramatic turn toward Venezuela.

Matt, Shawn, and Porter debate the morality of American military intervention and the expanding role of U.S. economic interests in Venezuela's oil industry.

The U.S. government has secured rights to a 35% interest in North American Blue Energy Partners, a company planning a massive expansion of Venezuelan oil production. S&P Global explains the agreement and its proposed investment.

The arrangement has already drawn questions about the relationship between military power, economic interests, and Venezuela's political future.

Is the use of American military force morally justified if it protects American interests?

What about regime change?

And what happens when the military becomes a tool for economic policy?

Porter takes a particularly strong position: military force should be used only when it is necessary to prevent an immediate loss of human life—and even then, military action may not be the best tool.

How Much War Is Too Much?

The Venezuela discussion becomes a broader conversation about Iraq, Iran, Ukraine, September 11, and the moral limits of military intervention.

What does it mean to "renounce war and proclaim peace" while still believing that nations have a right to defend themselves?

Does Captain Moroni's example justify preparing for war?

Can a nation morally use violence to prevent a future threat?

And is there a point where defending freedom actually destroys the very freedoms you're trying to protect?

When Is It Okay to Start Playing Christmas Music?

Finally, the most important question of the episode.

A Utah radio station began playing Christmas music on September 28—barely a week after the beginning of fall. The Salt Lake Tribune covered KLO's unusually early Christmas launch.

Matt has a problem with this.

He argues that starting Christmas music too early turns Christmas into a commercial holiday centered on shopping, nostalgia, Santa, and Mariah Carey rather than Jesus Christ.

Shawn isn't buying it.

Maybe even cheesy Christmas music helps create a culture of joy, nostalgia, generosity, and—eventually—thoughts about Jesus.

So we settle the question once and for all:

When is it morally acceptable to start playing Christmas music?

And yes, Matt really does become Charlie Brown.

Chapters

00:00 — Welcome Back, Porter
00:46 — Should Gambling Be Illegal?
02:30 — Victor Wembanyama Takes a Stand on Gambling
03:40 — What Should Government Make Illegal?
06:00 — Can Government Regulate Morality?
09:35 — Should the Federal Government Regulate College Sports?
10:23 — How Much Should College Athletes Be Allowed to Earn?
11:36 — Are Universities Becoming For-Profit Institutions?
12:39 — Why Is Congress Doing This Right Now?
14:39 — Does the Church Have a Modesty Standard?
16:20 — Is Judging Someone's Clothing Pharisaical?
17:04 — What the Church Used to Teach About Modesty
20:48 — Why Did Modesty Standards Change?
22:59 — Does Clothing Reveal Your Character?
25:24 — Where Should We Draw the Line?
26:45 — Should You Question the Handbook?
30:15 — Can You Judge Someone's Intentions?
31:58 — Is American Power Being Used for Profit in Venezuela?
33:54 — Is Military Force Ever Morally Justified?
36:05 — Can You Prevent a Future War by Starting One?
38:21 — What Has American Intervention Cost?
40:00 — When Is War Actually Justified?
41:44 — Has the Republican Party Lost Its Way?
43:09 — How Early Is Too Early for Christmas Music?
45:05 — Is Early Christmas Music Ruining Christmas?
46:39 — Matt Becomes Charlie Brown
47:04 — Is Christmas Music Good Even When It's Commercialized?
49:11 — Can Christmas Music Point People Toward Christ?

Visit our website to join the conversation: Latter-day Lens


People on this episode

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Matthew Miles

Co-host
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Shawn Record

Co-host

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