RSL Stadium?.......Will it happen?

[delts145]

Real could be sold as early as Friday; Corroon refuses stadium funding

By Leigh Dethman
Deseret Morning News
Bye-bye, Real Salt Lake.
Team owner Dave Checketts told Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon Monday he could sell the team as early as Friday. The surprise announcement came just after Corroon told Checketts the county refused to invest $30 million in a soccer stadium for the team in Sandy.
The team will likely play one more season at Rice Eccles Stadium before moving on to a new city and new owner, Checketts told KSL Newsradio's Doug Wright this morning. Team officials said a statement will be released later this afternoon with Real's reaction to Corroon's decision.
Corroon said he would like to see the team come up with another way to fund the stadium.
"If anybody wanted this to work, it was me," Corroon said. "I'd love to see the team stay here. Bottom line, it didn't make sense."
Corroon called the $30 million in hotel taxes an "unsafe investment," since the team could easily default on bills with only minor shortfalls in ticket sales.
Corroon also based his decision on a recommendation from the county's Debt Review Committee that the team is not financially viable. The committee found that Real wouldn't have enough money to pay its $3.3 million in yearly debt obligations in four out of the next seven years.
"When the risk is such that it's gambling, we just didn't want to take that gamble," Corroon said. "This is an unsafe investment for the county."
Now the state might take the gamble.
House Speaker Greg Curtis said Monday he might redirect the hotel-room tax legislation directly to the soccer stadium, but only if other legislators agree.
"I kinda feel like the lone legislator. I'm one out of 104 — I've got to get 53 people to say, 'Hey that's a good idea,' and I haven't even tried yet," Curtis said.
He has a blank bill, Transient Room Taxes Amendments, that he says would direct the county on how to spend the hotel-room tax money, as well as urge county leaders to finally start construction on a parking garage at the South Towne Exposition Center.
Leftover money not used on the parking garage could possibly fund an expansion at the Hogle Zoo or a TRAX line to the Salt Lake City International Airport, Curtis said. Curtis has threatened in the past that if the county didn't fund the soccer stadium, he might push to redirect hotel-tax dollars to the airport TRAX line.
But Curtis isn't giving up yet. He said he still might make a last-ditch effort in these last four weeks of the legislative session to find a way to fund the soccer stadium.
Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan said he was frustrated he had to hear the news from reporters instead of Corroon himself. Even so, he wasn't surprised by the news.
"I'm sorry there is no vision in Salt Lake County government," Dolan said. "It's unfortunate. It sends a message that we're not willing to bring major league sports here.
"That's a detriment to the entire community."

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Ute_City

New York has a team, unless you mean Rochester. Awhile back http://www.arenadigest.com said that St. Louis and Kansas City were in the hunt for RSL.

I think I was hearing something about upstate new york could be buying RSL. But yea like I said New York has enough Pro teams how it is.

[delts145]

I think Sandy City, House Speaker Curtis, and Govenor Huntsman will put a deal together. There are definately enough Republican state legislatures who will view Corroon's attitude as lacking and shuffle some county money toward the stadium. Whether you like him or not Checketts is pro-Utah, and will cool his anger long enough to listen to Curtis and Huntsman.
It would be kind of hilarious if the Utah County group made their offer so attractive that the stadium went to Provo/Orem. I would really be surprised if that happened though.

[Cirrus]

This does not need to be so personal, folks. Tone it down.

[urbane]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Maybe I out of line here.
But Comrade hated RSL since day one just because it wasn't going to be built downtown. That is the only reason. And since then he just wanted not only the Sandy deal to fail, but all of RSL being in utah to fail altogether.
People like him bug me. Why? It's just the way they think, "If it's not going to be built downtown, then we don't want it AT ALL" what crap. Be better to have it in Sandy or even Utah county then freaking New York.

I agree wth Comrade. If it isn't going to be built downtown then screw'm!
There are only so many people to support venues, teams etc. and if they take them away from downtown like RSL wants to do than to hell with them. I only support teams and institiutions that support downtown. If they move to new york then downtown will be better off then it would be having RSL in Sandy. Downtown or go to hell, sorry soccer fans.

[Comrade]

Firstly, I don't hate RSL because they chose Sandy over Salt Lake. I hate RSL for the way things went about. I feel they completely screwed Salt Lake City over for personal reasons and I have a problem with that. Secondly, yeah I do think the stadium would be better downtown and not out in the suburbs. Sandy cheated its way to the stadium, cozying up with the Utah legislature, who then turned around and made it impossible for SLC to build the stadium. Call me crazy, but I can't help but smile at it all blowing up in their faces.

[wrendog]

well, KSL reporting that the Geneva Steel guys are still interested and want to put forth a deal to checketts for free land.. if Checketts doesn't want that, the geneva guys will be first in line to buy the team... as much as this would irk comrade and others, I hope this happens...

of course, if SLC gets the stadium, that would be the best option, but if not, bring it down here!

[Viperlord]

Hmm, finally sandy gets what they deserve. I have been told by the season ticket representative when i asked about a new arena for the jazz...that the EsArena will likely undergo a huge makeover and remodel before they build a new arena.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by wrendog

well, KSL reporting that the Geneva Steel guys are still interested and want to put forth a deal to checketts for free land.. if Checketts doesn't want that, the geneva guys will be first in line to buy the team... as much as this would irk comrade and others, I hope this happens...

of course, if SLC gets the stadium, that would be the best option, but if not, bring it down here!

Finaly some good news. Better to have it down in utah country then out of state.
While some might think that if it's not build downtown salt lake then forget them, but I believe that having a RSL stadium will be good for all of the wasatch front. not just salt lake city.

[blm3034L!fe]

Originally Posted by wrendog

well, KSL reporting that the Geneva Steel guys are still interested and want to put forth a deal to checketts for free land.. if Checketts doesn't want that, the geneva guys will be first in line to buy the team... as much as this would irk comrade and others, I hope this happens...

of course, if SLC gets the stadium, that would be the best option, but if not, bring it down here!

Does anyone know if Chris Cannon still owns Geneva Steel? A good friend of mine growing up, his mother in-law was Chris Cannon's sister. They were pretty nice people IMO, I was just curious? He was a pretty hard core business man from what I understand, I'll let you in on a little secret. His father was 10 times the business man Chris ever was. Chris's father has done well enough to have neighbors such as Bill Gates in Washington, if that gives you any kind of idea how successful Chris's father was in business. And a move like that sounds like Chris IMO...

[SLC Rocks]

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

Firstly, I don't hate RSL because they chose Sandy over Salt Lake. I hate RSL for the way things went about. I feel they completely screwed Salt Lake City over for personal reasons and I have a problem with that. Secondly, yeah I do think the stadium would be better downtown and not out in the suburbs. Sandy cheated its way to the stadium, cozying up with the Utah legislature, who then turned around and made it impossible for SLC to build the stadium. Call me crazy, but I can't help but smile at it all blowing up in their faces.

I couldn't agree more with Comrade. It wasn't a sustainable project on its own in Sandy or even Downtown (unless free land). I wouldn't care were the damn thing was built if Checketts could make it work on his own or even with a smaller subsidy, but he can't so cry me a fucking river.

[jedikermit]

Yeah, I'm more concerned with Checketts & co. inflating their revenue numbers on paper to try to sell their stadium--nothing they've shown for either soccer attendance or concert attendance has even come close to reality for other venues--he's trying to lie his way to the bank.

[delts145]

Corroon says no deal

Checketts is considering selling the soccer team

By Leigh Dethman
Deseret Morning News
No more marriage counseling. No more threats. No more sleeping on the couch.
After nearly a year of back and forth, deal or no deal, the divorce is final between Salt Lake County and Real Salt Lake.
Now Real is ready to look for new suitors.
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon ended the relationship Monday after announcing the county will not give Real $30 million to build a stadium in Sandy. He said he's through negotiating on the $110 million project in Sandy.
The decision was met with snide political remarks from team owner Dave Checketts, who says Corroon used the decision to further his political career.
"It's been up and down. I hate to see it ending with insults and accusations, because they've actually been really good to work with the past few months," Corroon said.
Checketts said investors in eight cities across the country are interested in acquiring a Major League Soccer franchise.
Checketts bought the team in 2004 for $10 million. If he sells it, he could earn considerably more. Washington's D.C. United sold earlier this month for roughly $33 million, but that team has made it to the playoffs and is in a much larger market.
Two cities have expressed interest in keeping the team in Utah.
Michael Hutchings, co-owner of Anderson Geneva, said his company is interested in buying Real and building a stadium in Lindon at the old Geneva Steel site.
"We've got the money and financial backing to do it," Hutchings said. Anderson Geneva is an affiliate of Sandy-based Anderson Development LLC. "The worst-case scenario would be if the team left Utah. We don't want to see that happen."
Before making an offer to buy the team, Hutchings will once again offer 30 acres of free land at the Geneva site for the stadium. He tried to lure the team to Utah County in July after the Salt Lake County Council rejected a funding deal for the stadium.
If that doesn't work, and Checketts still decides to sell the team, Hutchings said he'll be the first in line.
Hutchings said he made several phone calls to Checketts' people Monday trying to set up a meeting today. A team spokesman said Real had received no formal offer from Anderson Geneva.
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson wants to keep Real Salt Lake in Salt Lake City.
He resurrected a plan Monday to build the team a stadium at the Utah State Fairpark and called for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to persuade legislators to lease the Fairpark land to Real for decades while allowing adjacent development.
"This is going to be a black eye for our community for a long time if we aren't able to bail it out," Anderson told KSL-Newsradio. Anderson did not return phone calls to the Deseret Morning News Monday.
House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, doesn't support the idea. He told the Deseret Morning News on Monday, "I've said all along it's not a state-funded responsibility."
And a spokesman for the governor said, "Gov. Huntsman has long championed professional soccer in Utah and is disappointed with this new development."
Checketts refused to comment on the team's future in the Salt Lake Valley. He said all he could guarantee is a great final season for the fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium: "I'm going to give them the best season I possibly can."
When pressed for details on possible buyers or cities interested in purchasing the team, Checketts said, "If I'm going to turn this ship, I'm going to need to think about it."
Checketts met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber Monday to talk about the team's options. Real's lease at Rice-Eccles Stadium expires at the end of the 2007 season.
When another stadium deal fell apart last summer, Garbe said, investors in Rochester, N.Y., and St. Louis contacted the league about purchasing the franchise.
Teams unable to build their own stadiums have short life spans in the MLS. In the past five years, one MLS team folded and another relocated, partly because the teams could not secure a soccer-specific stadium. The Tampa Bay Mutiny folded in 2002 and the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston in 2005.
"Real Salt Lake cannot be successful long term without a new stadium," Garber said in a statement. "In that regard, Real Salt Lake is no different than any other professional sports team in America."
Ultimately, what doomed the team were shaky finances, according to Corroon.
He said he worried that even a slight dip in ticket revenue could cause the team to default on bills.
Corroon also based his decision on a recommendation from the county's Debt Review Committee. It said the team is not financially viable. The committee found that Real wouldn't have enough money to pay its $3.3 million in yearly debt obligations on the stadium in four out of the next seven years.
He also said that the county couldn't find any sort of realistic scenario that showed the team breaking into the black.
"When the risk is such that it's gambling, we just didn't want to take the gamble," Corroon said. "This is an unsafe investment for the county."
Checketts maintains that investing in Real's future would be no gamble at all.
"I obviously disagree with the mayor on this being an unsafe investment," Checketts said. "They would have owned the underlying real estate and some of the most valuable land and facilities in the state."
Under the proposal killed by Corroon Monday, the county would have pitched in $30 million in hotel-tax revenue to pay for land and infrastructure around the stadium. Sandy pledged another $15 million.
In exchange, Real would give the county $27.5 million back in cash and in-kind contributions. That money would come from parking and ticket revenue, youth soccer and a gift of $7.5 million to Salt Lake City from Real to build a soccer complex in the city.
The much-discussed subsidizes by Sandy city and Salt Lake County should "absolutely not have been given. Taxpayer money shouldn't be spent on such things," said Mike Jerman, vice president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, a business-backed group that opposed taxpayer subsidizes for the stadium.
"We have business start ups here all the time. Rarely, if ever, do these firms expect to get money from taxpayers."
There are a few instances when local businesses should receive government help — usually in the form of tax breaks rather than cash outlays — and those economic incentives should be sharply targeted to increase productivity and the expansion of many new, high-paying jobs, Jerman said.
Real never met those standards, Jerman said.
Now that the deal is off, Corroon recommended that the county provide the $7.5 million for the purchase and construction of the youth soccer fields in Salt Lake City.
County Councilman Jim Bradley said he supports that decision, indicating the council will likely vote to allocate money for the fields.
Corroon said the county will still build a $20 million parking garage near the South Towne Exposition Center. Real wanted to share the parking garage with the county.
If Checketts hopes for legislative help, Curtis said he likely won't find any on Capitol Hill.
"I accept the outcome and will not try to revive the project with legislation," Curtis said.
However, in an interview earlier in the day with the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV, Curtis said a blank bill he filed, titled Transient Room Taxes, "could be drafted" to direct hotel-room taxes to the stadium.
"I don't know if there is the will of the Legislature to redirect the TRT tax," Curtis said. "If (Checketts is) done, it's done. I don't know a course of action. I don't know what options there are."
Curtis said he intends to use the bill to direct the county on how to spend the hotel-room tax money, as well as urge county leaders to finally start construction on a parking garage at the expo center.
He says money left over from parking-garage construction could fund an expansion at the Hogle Zoo or a TRAX line to the Salt Lake City International Airport. Curtis said he wants to offset the hit UTA will take if the Legislature removes transit and other so-called "boutique" taxes from food purchases.
He said UTA can make up the lost cash if the Legislature diverts hotel-room taxes from the county to UTA for a TRAX line to the Salt Lake City International Airport.
However, the House has already passed a bill, HB282, but it contains no provisions for compensating local governments for the loss of most taxes — including the $17 million the Utah Transit Authority stands to lose.
House and Senate leadership met briefly Monday morning with the county mayor.
Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said he would be willing to support legislation that would allow Real to play at Rice-Eccles Stadium. For that to happen, the law would have to be changed to allow alcohol sales, and some bonding issues would have to be addressed.
Checketts did make a last-ditch effort to get Corroon to agree to the deal.
He says Corroon told him the only reason he said no to the deal was that there was about a $7 million gap in funding Sandy could not come up with. Then, Checketts said, he offered to come up with another $7 million in equity.
"His response was, 'I have already made my decision and it's too late, I can't discuss it,"' Checketts said. "He said it's my call and I say no. What that told me, frankly, was that he never intended on getting this done."
Corroon said the $7 million gap was a problem, but "it was beyond that."
He said there was only $20 million worth of land and infrastructure to invest in, yet the team wanted $30 million. Corroon insisted that county money not be spent on the stadium — only land and infrastructure.
"If I wanted to kill this project, I would have tried to do it earlier on," Corroon said. "All I tried to do was get it through a process that made sense."

[delts145]

Top officials, politicians express regret, but that may not revive the deal
By Derek P. Jensen, Heather May
and Rosemary Winters
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 01/30/2007 05:09:02 AM MST




Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts watches his team playing against Real Madrid at Rice-Eccles Stadium in August, when the Sandy stadium deal appeared within reach. (Al Hartmann/Tribune file photo)


Salt Lake Real take their first bow as winners before a crowd of over 25,000 at Rice Eccles Stadium. They won 1-0 over the Colorado Rapids.

RSL Stadium
Jan 30:
Soccer: Winners and LosersRSL FutureGORDON MONSON: This soccer game needs a timeoutIf team is sold, those who will lose the most could be people of SLCLYA WODRASKA: RSL stadium plan simply far too taxingRSL: Players, coach and commissioner reactionJan 29:
Mayor Corroon's statementStadium deal is dead; Checketts may sell RSLJan 11:
Soccer plan: New concernsJan 10:
Soccer stadium site may be pollutedSoccer stadium: RSL boss says deal is 90% completeJan 9:
Checketts: Stadium deal far from deadJan 8:
House Speaker Greg Curtis: soccer stadium deal "dead"With goal machine Jeff Cunningham prowling the net, teen phenom Freddy Adu picking off passes and playoff-hungry fans bracing for a title run, Real Salt Lake's third season promises to be its most thrilling.
But after 2007, there are no promises. The team may not be here.
RSL owner Dave Checketts said Monday he may sell the franchise after Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon earlier in the day ruled out funneling $30 million in hotel taxes toward a $110 million Sandy stadium.
"It's a bitter pill, but I am not bitter," said Checketts, who nonetheless accused Corroon of engineering a stadium defeat for political advantage. "He thought that by steamrolling this along and then standing in its way that would get him the approval ratings he's seeking."
Corroon called the jab "nonsense," emphasizing he simply was looking out for the public purse.
"We were gambling with taxpayer dollars," he said. "Ultimately, the deal didn't make sense."
The endgame for RSL's suburban stadium played something like a soccer match: a long, strategic battle filled with attacks and counterattacks that ended in sudden death. And the result for Utah soccer fans and Checketts' two-year-old franchise appears devastating.
"We're done," Corroon announced Monday just before high noon, having spent the morning shuttling between private meetings on Capitol Hill with House Speaker Greg Curtis and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to deliver the news. Corroon called the public funding for stadium infrastructure an "unsafe investment."
On Friday, the county's Debt Review Committee had ruled 4-0 that RSL is not financially viable, clearly guiding Corroon's decision.
Checketts said Corroon killed the deal because RSL was $7 million shy in equity, which he offered to cover. Corroon says the gap was closer to $15 million.
Either way, any funding alternative from the Legislature appears doomed after Curtis released a statement Monday.
"I accept the outcome and will not try to revive the project with legislation," Curtis wrote.
Instead, the speaker - a powerful Sandy Republican who pushed for the stadium before declaring it "dead" earlier this month - is urging county leaders to move forward with a parking garage at the South Towne Expo Center with $20 million lawmakers allocated in hotel taxes in 2005.
The rest of the revenue, Curtis advised, should be redirected to the Utah Transit Authority to help offset losses that may occur if legislators dump the sales tax on food.
Still, a stadium alternative in Utah could be breathing - if faintly.
Sandy-based Anderson Development reaffirmed Friday it would be willing to buy RSL and move the team to its 1,700-acre site - formerly home to Geneva Steel - near Utah Lake. The company contacted team officials Monday to say its earlier offer still stands.
"We certainly see the value in this team." said Michael Hutchings, an Anderson partner.
Checketts said he will consider all options, including the Utah Fairpark, pushed anew by Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. But the RSL owner made it clear the team's future in the state is in doubt.
Sandy City Councilman Dennis Tenney said he is clutching to hope for an eleventh-hour solution. "We're not ready to throw the towel in yet," he said.
But Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan insisted any stadium salvation is "up to Dave Checketts."
"I'm sorry there is no vision in Salt Lake County," Dolan said. "It sends a message that we're not willing to bring major-league sports here."
Frustration, though muted, also came from Huntsman. The governor has "long championed professional soccer in Utah," spokesman Mike Mower said, "and he is disappointed with this new development."
When asked, Mower wouldn't say what, if anything, Huntsman is doing to revive the stadium.
If a plan is resurrected, Corroon said the county would share parking for the stadium. He also supports the county giving $7.5 million for youth fields in northwest Salt Lake City, part of the original deal.
Anderson, who lobbied for the fairpark to Checketts on Monday, said the news is particularly bad for Salt Lake City, which could lose the fields and a $25 million elite soccer academy.
"We blew it," said Anderson, calling the state and the county "dysfunctional." "It's something we'll look back on for many years just shaking our heads wondering how in the world did we let that opportunity slip through our fingers?"
Glenn Webb, president of the RSL fan club The Loyalists, agreed.
"We are wannabes now. We're just poseurs," he said. "There's no reason for the National Hockey League or Major League Baseball or anybody of consequence to consider Salt Lake."
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber has stressed a soccer-specific stadium is key to RSL's success. It also is part of Checketts' agreement with the league.
Jim McNeil, president of United Concerts, was on tap to promote concerts at a Sandy stadium. Now he will return to pitching his shows at Usana Amphitheater.
"It's business as usual for us," he said. "I wish Dave Checketts and Real the very best."
Checketts declined to discuss the prospect of building a stadium in another market except, he joked, "the salt flats."
"It will enhance the speed of the game," he quipped. "And that land is probably not under the jurisdiction of any government."
On a somber side, the former Utah Jazz executive lamented that he was "embarrassed" he could not deliver a stadium deal for his home state.
"It must not be meant to be."

[delts145]

Tuesday, January 30, 2007



GRACE LEONG - Daily Herald
Attention: Dave Checketts. Anderson Development still wants to buy Real Salt Lake and have a professional soccer stadium in Vineyard.

"So, please call us," said Michael Hutchings, a partner with Sandy-based Anderson, the developer of the former Geneva Steel property on Monday.

Hutchings renewed an offer he made last summer to buy the soccer team from owner Dave Checketts after his plans to build a professional soccer stadium in Salt Lake County were scuppered by its mayor.

He also renewed an offer to donate up to 30 acres of the 1,700-acre former steel plant property in Vineyard for a 20,000-seat stadium. The offer came, again, after Peter Corroon, mayor of Salt Lake County, said on Monday he won't support a proposal that would put $30 million in hotel taxes toward buying land and building infrastructure for the stadium, calling it an "unsafe investment."

"Maybe it's not meant to be, because at every turn, we get thwarted by political leaders," said Checketts during a media conference call on Monday.

But the Real Salt Lake owner said he would consider Anderson's offer "along with everything else."

"We hadn't seriously considered Anderson's offer in August because I was considering Mayor Corroon's offer. But you've gotta give me at least 24 hours," Checketts said.

Checketts said he plans to sell Real but will keep the team in Utah for the 2007 Major League Soccer season. He declined to comment on whether he has a buyer lined up for the team.

Corroon's announcement came three days after the county's Debt Review Committee recommended against spending $30 million in hotel taxes on the $110 million project, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP report, the committee said Real Salt Lake's revenue projections from soccer and concerts were too optimistic.

Checketts disagreed.

"I negotiated in good faith, and many members of the council were supportive and encouraging. So it came as a surprise when they rejected the plan," he said. "When I offered to cure what Corroon said were financial deficiencies, ... even personally guarantee the performance to get the stadium done, he refused to entertain it, which told me he never intended to do the deal."

"I've spent millions of dollars designing this world-class stadium for the citizens of Salt Lake County," he said. "My partners don't understand how we can be this close and have it fall through."

But Salt Lake County's loss could be Utah County's gain, Hutchings said.

"We don't want the team to leave Utah and our site is a perfect location for the stadium. It will be a catalyst for tremendous development. The site for the stadium is now completely remediated, so there'll be no environmental impediment to building the stadium on 800 North west of Geneva Road," he said.

To date, Anderson spent more than $2 million remediating the property -- a project that's expected to be completed in five years -- for a massive mixed use residential, commercial and retail development on the former Geneva Steel plant in Vineyard.

"We've also completed the demolition of all the existing buildings on the site," Hutchings said. We're giving them free land, and we're willing to let Checketts partner with us in the development of the commercial center, offices, retail and housing on that property. We may not be the size of Salt Lake County, but our venue will draw people from Salt Lake."

Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson said the stadium, if it became a reality, could generate substantial property taxes and sales taxes for the county.

But it depends on Anderson's level of commitment and whether Checketts believes there's enough support to keep the team in Utah, he said.

"Salt Lake Valley is the place where the Real Salt Lake Stadium would be best supported. But Utah County isn't all that far from Sandy. It's an additional 25 miles or so, but it is 25 additional miles," Ellertson said.

But that could be a moot point, Hutchings argued, now that voters in Utah County and Salt Lake County have approved a quarter-cent tax to fund transportation projects. That tax will be collected started April 1.

Hutchings said Checketts may have better luck getting private sector support for the stadium.

"We told Checketts he will have an uphill battle convincing Salt Lake County officials about the legitimacy of funding the soccer stadium with public money. But he told us he'd been assured privately by Salt Lake County officials who've now rejected it," he said. "We told him, 'Don't be too proud to call us if your plan is turned down by Salt Lake County.' "

But ultimately, the decision lies with Checketts.

"Ultimately, Checketts has the right to do what he wants. If he chooses to sell the team outside Utah, then we can conclude he isn't willing to continue the effort to see it succeed in Utah," Ellertson said.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.

[delts145]

Reality check
If team is sold, those who will lose the most could be people of SLC
If team is sold, residents of S.L. Valley could end up being biggest losers
By Michael C. Lewis
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 01/30/2007 03:21:44 AM MST


A young fan getting emotional during the game. Real Salt... (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)«1»Related
RSL Stadium
Jan 30:
Coach John Ellinger believes there is a "good likelihood" that a sale and move are imminent - which MLS' all-time leading scorer Jason Kreis said probably would force him into "instant retirement."
But what about the city?
Would metropolitan Salt Lake City - home of the Utah Jazz and the 2002 Winter Olympics - suddenly develop a bad reputation that might scare away potential sports franchises, investors and events, if it cannot manage to keep one of the only two major-league franchises in town?
"To be honest, I would hope so," Kreis said. "I would hope that people around the country and in the big cities where they care about sports would look at Salt Lake City and say, 'Wow, they failed miserably.' "
The real effect, however, might not be quite so devastating - especially considering that for whatever local success they have enjoyed, neither RSL nor Major League Soccer takes up much room in the nation's sporting consciousness.
"Is this a setback?" said Tripp Mickle, who covers soccer for the Sports Business Journal. "Yeah. You don't want to lose a franchise once you've got one. But at the same time, it is Major League Soccer. We're not talking about the NFL here or the NBA, or a NASCAR race, for that matter. You have to keep it in perspective."
Even Checketts doubts the loss of the team - should it occur - would somehow scar the city for life.
"I'm not going to say this prevents the Salt Lake Valley from ever getting another franchise," he said, "because I don't believe that. But I do think it gives people somewhat of a pause."
Worse than injuring its reputation, Mickle said the city and its surrounding suburbs should worry more about what opportunities could be lost for children in the community who would have benefited from the playing fields that were scheduled to be built as part of the stadium project.
"That's where you're going to lose more than at the professional sports level," he said.
Kreis agreed, saying the "biggest losers would be the people of Salt Lake City" and the RSL fans who have seen the fledgling team through "very little thick and lots of thin. It would be difficult to see them losing what I think they love."
He also said that if the team leaves after next season, he probably would not follow.
"I don't know if I'm ready to move my family again, at this stage of my career," the 34-year-old striker said. "I don't think I'd be prepared to do it. It would be a bittersweet end for what has been a fantastic career."
Though it remains a decidedly modest league, MLS does seem to be starting to flourish in a way it never had since its creation in 1996.
The league recently signed international stars David Beckham and Claudio Reyna - RSL acquired teen sensation Freddy Adu - added expansion team Toronto FC and its own stadium, and has been forging encouraging relationships with strong ownership groups and popular international clubs.
All of which might one day make a city look foolish for not having stuck with it.
"Major League Soccer is on a big upswing right now, and it's considered by a lot of people to be doing some good things," Mickle said. "It could be the type of thing that people look back on and say, 'Goodness, that was a window when MLS was moving in the right direction and we were there and had a chance to be a part of that.' At the same time, who knows what the future holds for that league right now?"
[email protected]

[wrendog]

something better pan out.. if checketts sells the team to an out of state suitor, can we safely assume that checketts only goal was the realty portion of this? Cause it sounds as if geneva steel guys are serious about this.. and why wouldn't he sell it to them?

[delts145]

I agree with you 200% Wrendog about this stadium deal panning out. Also, much better to have the stadium at the old Geneva site than no Wasatch Front site at all.

[SmilingBob]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Maybe I out of line here.
But Comrade hated RSL since day one just because it wasn't going to be built downtown. That is the only reason. And since then he just wanted not only the Sandy deal to fail, but all of RSL being in utah to fail altogether.
People like him bug me. Why? It's just the way they think, "If it's not going to be built downtown, then we don't want it AT ALL" what crap. Be better to have it in Sandy or even Utah county then freaking New York.

Why is it okay to spend tax dollars on the arts, the zoo, and other recreation projects, but not on RSL? Soccer fans live here too. The city, state, and county spent millions on facility, road, and transportation upgrades for the Olympics, but $30 million for RSL isn't important enough. IMO, RSL just doesn't have the clout to get this deal done.

I find it funny that the county money was to be spent on infrastructure, not the actual stadium, and now they are still going to build a parking garage for the Expo Center at a cost of $7.5 million and they still want to put in the rec. soccer fields. In the end the county will probably spend the $30 million on various project upgrades having to do with this site or similar projects in the area with little to no regard about what the returns or pay backs will be.

Just like Comrade this is all about hurt feelings, not what's best for SL county and the state. RSL pissed off SL city and went to Sandy. In the end the right asses weren't kissed and therefore this project failed.

[delts145]

Thankyou SmilingBob, Let's hope that cool heads prevail.