The season may be over, but Jimmer-mania is still going strong on the BYU campus. A little too strong, it turns out.
According to an article yesterday by Sporting News’ DeAntae Prince, Jimmer Fredette has been asked by officials at BYU to stop going to class because of the disruption entailed by his presence and the lack of focus exhibited by other students when he would show up. In his attempts to attend lectures like any other college student trying to finish up his final year, because of his popularity, Fredette was evidently set upon regularly by swarms of admirers wanting autographs or some other interaction with the Cougars’ superstar. Prince’s article also notes that this phenomenon was not limited to the BYU campus, but extended to the rest of the city of Provo as well.
It might be the dream of many college students to be told by officials at their school, “You’re too famous. Everyone loves you so much that you don’t have to come to class anymore. We’ll figure something out,” but this is a shame. It got so bad that Fredette will now have to finish his coursework online. How ironic that certain people within the school and city that Fredette represented and played so hard for have made it so that he can’t really attend the school or live normally in the town.
The most shocking account in Prince’s piece came from Fredette’s father, Al, who once asked his son what he does when he goes out. Al remembered, “He said he wears a hoodie and tries not to make eye contact.”