My take - a mammoth opportunity missed

So the Utah Hockey Club is now the Utah Mammoth. Ummm.... ok.

I previously have said they should have gone with the Mountaineers. Classic, non-cartoonish, and would have fit in nicely with the State and the NHL.

It also would have fixed the yeti problem. They could have had the mascot be a yeti, or a bigfoot, or a sasquatch, and its name could have been "Wasatch" which was the original plan for the team name Yeti anyway.

But nooo.... now we have a mammoth as a mascot. How are you going to have a mascot as a mammoth?

I don't know, won't the tusks get in the way of any antics he wants to do?

What a missed opportunity.

Why didn't they come to me and ask me what I thought?

Seriously.   

Tusks up: The Utah Hockey Club is now the Utah Mammoth

(ksl.com May 7, 2025)

It's been about 10,000 years since a mammoth last roamed Utah land. So with that perspective, the naming process for Utah's NHL team hasn't been too long at all.

After a 13-month process, featuring multiple rounds of fan voting and trademark issues (not to mention an entire season), Utah's NHL team has a permanent name.

What was the Utah Hockey Club is now officially the Utah Mammoth.

The team said a total of 850,000 votes were cast over the course of a year to eventually land on the new moniker.

"The community chose the Utah Mammoth brand, and it stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we're building together," team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith said in a statement.

The announcement ends what has been a long process to find a name for the NHL's newest franchise.

It started in April 2024 when Smith Entertainment Group put out a public request asking for potential team names. A month later, the organization released its first ballot, allowing fans to choose four names of a list of 20.

That list was cut to six names — Yeti, Blizzard, Hockey Club, Venom, Outlaws and Mammoth — for another round of voting last summer.

And then the trademark hurdles came.

The team hit a snag with presumed favored Utah Yeti when Yeti Coolers refused to enter into a coexistence agreement with the team. The team had plenty of conversations with the cooler company, and the NHL (a Yeti partner) even tried to help tip the scales, but Yeti ultimately wanted to protect its own trademarks.

So the team moved on from the name that had topped many lists, and the final vote was between Mammoth, Hockey Club and Outlaws (only after a brief flirtation with "Wasatch" as a potential Yeti replacement).

Mammoth was the "clear favorite" in that final tally, according to the team, which was something that was seen from fans on social media and within the arena. But that's only one reason Wednesday's announcement wasn't a big surprise.

Last week, the team essentially leaked the name by updating its YouTube handle to "UtahMammoth" — a pretty clear sign of what was coming.

The team even took the positive reaction to the hiccup as further validation that it had made the right choice for the name.

The Mammoth moniker comes with plenty of Utah ties, too. Mammoth fossils have been found throughout Utah, including in Bear Lake, Fillmore, Orem, Park City, and Lake Powell. A complete mammoth skeleton was even discovered in Hunting Canyon in 1988.

As for the rest of the branding, the team will retain its inaugural season colors — blue, black, and white — but introduce updated designs.

The primary logo features a mammoth profile with a mountain peak forming the crown of its head. The silhouette of Utah is embedded within the mountain, with an "M" inside the state outline. Secondary logos include a tusk piercing a "U" and a new "Mammoth Sans font."

Jersey designs will resemble last season's sweaters, maintaining similar stripe patterns but showcasing the new marks. The home jersey will be black with the primary logo on the chest. The away jersey will feature the diagonal "Utah" wordmark in the updated font.

The away jersey can be seen as a call-back to the Utah Hockey Club season — and it likely won't be the last. The organization emphasized the Utah HC name will always remain part of its history, with future opportunities to pay tribute to the team's inaugural identity.

For now, though, the focus is on launching the new Utah Mammoth brand.

While fans had to wait for the official name, they won't have to wait for merchandise.

Hats, shirts, hoodies, and more — everything except jerseys — will go on sale at the team store in the Delta Center at noon on Wednesday. Jerseys will be released, along with the rest of the NHL's uniforms, ahead of next season.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51308328/tusks-up-the-utah-hockey-club-is-now-the-utah-mammoth

More "blah blah blah" from Garber - "a powerful soccer nation"

From the KSL article about the Miller's buying RSL there was a quote from Garber. 

"The fact that we, together, can take this sport and combine the power of what makes sports so important and how it can enrich and improve lives," Garber said. "Particularly in a state like Utah that has such strong participation, speaks to the momentum and the vision and the opportunity that this sport, this club, and our sister club, the Royals, can have in just making our country a powerful soccer nation."

I can't stand Garber, never could even when I was a die hard "MLS can do no wrong" fan.

But he thinks MLS and the NWSL can make the US a powerful soccer nation. Dude, have you not been paying attention? The US is getting worse at soccer, not better!

MLS has been around almost 30 years! And women's soccer I have no idea, sometimes it is here and sometimes it goes away.

But over the past 30 years, with maybe one or two exceptions, the US has never gotten better at soccer on the world stage. We are always struggling to even qualify for the World Cup, last time we didn't even make it. 

And Garber keeps spewing this garbage about us becoming a powerful soccer nation. One can argue it is because of MLS and the lack of real competition that the US has never been, and most likely never will be a powerful soccer nation. 

Dude, get lost.

Oh, and by the way, the Utah Warriors are now in 1st place in Major League Rugby. How's RSL doing?

Isn't it ironic

Kind of funny, ironic, or sad, however you look at it, that the Miller group bought RSL seeing as back in the day Dave Checketts (RSL's founder) accused Larry H. Miller of trying to sabotage any RSL stadium deal.

I vividly remember Dave Checketts being interviewed by Doug Wright on KSL radio when Checketts was pushing to get a stadium deal done. He was running into a lot of road blocks, or at least he saw it that way, and he accused Larry Miller of working behind the scenes to sabotage any stadium progress. 

Doug Wright was shocked.

But I kind of side with Checketts on this one because I also remember Larry Miller being interviews on KSL radio when he was interested in buying the Minnesota Twins MLB team and move them to Utah. He was asked if there would be enough of a fan base to support a MLB team and he replied "We'll have to wait and see how the soccer team does."

Meaning he thought that if the soccer team was successful then there wouldn't be enough other sports fans out there to support a MLB baseball team whose season schedule would over lap that of a MLS team.

You have to remember this all took place at a different time when Utah's population was about half what it is now. 

Anyway, the soccer team stayed, the Twins did not come to Utah, and now the Millers own RSL.

What the hell?

Miller family buys RSL, Royals as Smith Entertainment Group exits

(ksl.com April 18, 2025)

The Miller family is expanding its sports ownership portfolio five years after selling the Utah Jazz to Ryan Smith.

Miller Sports and Entertainment announced its acquisition Friday of the controlling interest in RSL Football Holdings, which runs both Real Salt Lake in MLS and Utah Royals FC in the NWSL.

The official announcement came during a press conference at America First Field that featured the commissioners from both leagues, along with Utah Governor Spencer Cox.

Former majority owner David Blitzer was also in attendance and will remain on as the second-largest owner behind the Millers, while Smith Entertainment Group will exit the soccer sphere.

"I'm very excited to work with everyone and continue to build on the successes of RSL and the Utah Royals, and ultimately bring championships to Utah," Blitzer said.

Smith congratulated Larry H. Miller Company co-founder Gail Miller on the purchase of the two soccer clubs in a statement Friday.

"We are glad that soccer is staying in Utah, and Gail Miller is an ideal local steward to lead Utah's professional soccer franchises moving forward," Smith said. "With so much growth on the horizon for Smith Entertainment Group ... now is the right time to tighten our focus on the NBA, NHL and other areas where we can make the biggest impact on our state, our community, and the world of sports."

The Millers maintained a smaller role in the Utah sports scene after its sale of the Jazz with continued stewardship over the Salt Lake Bees, which included moving the minor league side to a new ballpark in Daybreak.

ESPN reported in March that the Miller family was interested in purchasing RSL three years ago when Smith and Blitzer took over, and now they get their chance to run professional soccer in the state of Utah.

Steve Miller, chairman of the Larry H. Miller Company, will serve as chairman and governor for both clubs. Blitzer stays on as alternate governor for RSL and former Utah Jazz president and Larry H. Miller CEO Steve Starks will be the Royals' alternate governor.

"These clubs' values align so closely with our family's values and the way that we think about professional sports," Steve Miller said. "We love how soccer has grown here in Utah. We believe it's family-friendly, and it includes communities.

"We built our business headquarters right here in Sandy, not far from where we stand, and we look forward and are grateful for the opportunity to continue to invest in the state as well as in these strong teams."'

The Millers own the Jordan Commons business area across State Street from America First Field, which also includes the company's Megaplex Theaters offices. Starks committed to keeping the teams in Sandy and said there are plans to develop both the stadium and areas around it to enhance the gameday experience.

The Athletic reported the value of Friday's sale to the Millers at $600 million. Smith and Blitzer purchased RSL for approximately $400 million in January 2022 and brought the Royals back to Utah last year as an expansion team for a reported $2 million fee to the NWSL.

Though brief, the Smith-Blitzer ownership era included the two largest player purchases in RSL history in Andres Gomez and Chicho Arango, and the largest sale when Gomez was flipped to French club Rennes in August 2024.

The ownership group also invested heavily in the return of the Royals by building a new training and performance center for the NWSL side connected to RSL's facility in Herriman.

MLS commissioner Don Garber commented during the press conference that Friday's event was the largest club announcement he has attended in MLS and also the first event to feature both himself and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman.

"The fact that we, together, can take this sport and combine the power of what makes sports so important and how it can enrich and improve lives," Garber said. "Particularly in a state like Utah that has such strong participation, speaks to the momentum and the vision and the opportunity that this sport, this club, and our sister club, the Royals, can have in just making our country a powerful soccer nation."

https://www.ksl.com/article/51297183/miller-family-buys-rsl-royals-as-smith-entertainment-group-exits

Becoming a rugby fan!

So, now that soccer is dead to me I'm becoming more and more of a rugby fan!

This has been going on for only a couple of months now but I've been watching all of the Utah Warrior highlights on YouTube and I've been watching videos on the "laws" of rugby and I'm hooked. (I'm still a little hazy on some of the penalties that get called but all the basics I have down.)

The Warriors have three more home games this year, April 26th against the Chicago Hounds, April 30th against San Diego Legion, and May 12th against the Seattle Seawolves.

I am for sure going to make it to one of those games, (and when I do I will post some photos to prove it.)

But this is awesome, I'm going to have a team to follow and cheer for again. 

And I won't have to deal with one of the main reasons I left soccer, which was the constant diving and faking of injuries. (See my posts from years ago about Landon Donovan and Neymar.) 

There is no diving and faking injuries in rugby! Oh hell no, these men are men. Don't give me that soccer crap anymore, I watch a real sport now.

So all you soccer "supporters" out there, whatever Loyalists, Rogue Cavalier Brigade members, and wanna be hooligans that are still left, come follow a real sport. MLS is dying anyway, the USL is going to bury MLS once pro/rel becomes a reality in a couple of years. The USL is going to steal all of MLS' thunder, no one will care about MLS anymore, hell, no one cares about MLS right now. 

So start now and become a Utah Warriors fan, that way when RSL goes away, and it will, you won't care because you'll already be wearing a kick ass Warriors jersey.

And the Warriors logo is awesome, so much better than RSL's. C'mon, admit it.

 

Uh oh..... part 2 - Promotion Relegation is coming to soccer in the USA

MLS is so screwed, and I am so happy. 

USL just made it official, promotion/relegation is going to happen. Look for it in 2027 or 2028, but it is now going to be a reality and with it MLS just became a lower level league.

They are going to have to do something, MLS is going to have to change. If they don't all the excitement in US soccer will be with USL.

This is going to get good and I am going to be watching much more closely. I want to see Garber and MLS get uncomfortable, and uncomfortable they will be. 

This is delicious.

(btw, YouTube is blowing up with videos about this. Eric Wynalda has done a couple, and a lot of other "soccer guy" that I have no idea who they are because I haven't followed soccer closely at all. But if you want go to YouTube and search and enjoy the show.)