The puritanical image of Mormons (no smoking, no drinking, and no caffeine) is deeply rooted in the public conscience. Brigham Young University, which was established by the LDS Church, even goes so far as to forbid students from using tobacco and alcohol. Strict discipline and an emphasis on sports are the reasons why BYU has been selected as America's Healthiest University; naturally, sport has become the school's most important inducement for attracting foreign students.
Based in Utah and with a branch in Hawaii, BYU maintains a key position in US athletics.
BYU began going all out to recruit students in Taiwan, especially Taiwanese Mormons, in the 80s. In 1984, BYU provided both venue and equipment to Chinese Taipei's Olympic track and field team to allow them to go to the US early and still continue training in preparation for the Olympics slated for Los Angeles that year. The following year, Taiwan's Ministry of Education reciprocated by inviting BYU's track and field team to Taiwan to participate in a regional track meet. This was the first time a foreign team took part in a regional exhibition track meet (no places were awarded). As a result, BYU won its way into the hearts of the people of Taiwan, making it one of the most recognized US university names in Taiwan. Its image as a sports university is even better known. Wu Tai-hao, a highly skilled basketball player from Taiwan with his sites set on the NBA, opted to play for BYU-Hawaii.
The LDS Church's undertakings in the fields of agriculture, finance, and tourism are just like BYU in that their successes have been very impressive. They have also become important sources of the large quantities of manpower and materials needed to support the church's mission work. US law does not require that religious organizations publicize their actual assets, but the 4 August 1997 issue of Time Magazine estimated that as of 1996, the church held in excess of US$30 billion (including church real estate and for-profit enterprises operated by the Deseret Management Corporation). The same report also put the church's 1996 income from tithing (one tenth of one's income set apart for contribution to the church) at approximately US$5.2 billion, explaining why Time named the LDS Church America's wealthiest religion.