What's new
By:

How committed to SLC is Ryan Smith?

I don't think there's much concern about Ryan Smith moving the team, it's more about who Ryan Smith would potentially sell the team to. NBA franchises are skyrocketing in valuation. More billionaires and mass wealth than ever, but professional sports teams are still scarce opportunities. He will make a **** ton of money by selling, and that opportunity will always be there for him.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
Vegas would draw top talent?

The Jazz are a guaranteed cash cow if you arent dumping crazy amount into LT. There is no proof Vegas would support a basketball team with sellout crowds and dedicated fans. Just own the team for another decade and sell for an insane profit margin. That's where the money is for NBA owners, not the money you make off ticket sales, but the money you can make on a sale.

The biggest thing Smith has to deal with is the hit to his ego.
Click to expand...
Being a villain in your home town isn’t worth a few hypothetical millions… as mentioned it might even be bad business…

Also- why the hell do we do this… we immediately think the team is leaving. There are like 10 other teams that could/should relocate instead of the Jazz.

It’s just so weird.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
Vegas would draw top talent?

The Jazz are a guaranteed cash cow if you arent dumping crazy amount into LT. There is no proof Vegas would support a basketball team with sellout crowds and dedicated fans. Just own the team for another decade and sell for an insane profit margin. That's where the money is for NBA owners, not the money you make off ticket sales, but the money you can make on a sale.

The biggest thing Smith has to deal with is the hit to his ego.
Click to expand...

lol are you making this post from 2005?

Vegas has insane growth, a growing sports community that has now backed two pro franchises. I think there's ample evidence Vegas would draw as well as Utah, especially if they're contending. That doesn't even get into the corporate sponsors, especially now that the NBA has opened itself up to gambling sponsors. In fact, one of the biggest knocks against Salt Lake, and one reason the city is unlikely to ever get a NFL team (at least any time soon) is due to its lack of corporate money. It's got the least amount of Fortune 500 companies of any NBA city (zero). Vegas has 4 on top of all the other gambling dollars that could be a boon financially that Utah can't really offer.

As for the Jazz value? They ranked 18th in 2020. Not awful but not great - especially for a team that consistently wins.

I doubt they'd do worse in Vegas and on top of all that, as I mentioned, they'd likely have a higher ceiling than anything they'd see in Utah.
 
Sean said:
lol are you making this post from 2005?

Vegas has insane growth, a growing sports community that has now backed two pro franchises. I think there's ample evidence Vegas would draw as well as Utah, especially if they're contending. That doesn't even get into the corporate sponsors, especially now that the NBA has opened itself up to gambling sponsors. In fact, one of the biggest knocks against Salt Lake, and one reason the city is unlikely to ever get a NFL team (at least any time soon) is due to its lack of corporate money. It's got the least amount of Fortune 500 companies of any NBA city (zero). Vegas has 4 on top of all the other gambling dollars that could be a boon financially that Utah can't really offer.

As for the Jazz value? They ranked 18th in 2020. Not awful but not great - especially for a team that consistently wins.

I doubt they'd do worse in Vegas and on top of all that, as I mentioned, they'd likely have a higher ceiling than anything they'd see in Utah.
Click to expand...
Maybe I am behind on the times in that regard. I did just look up the attendance for their NHL and WNBA teams and they are both in the top 10 of their leagues.
 
Sorry, the Las Vegas Jazz would probably be the nail in the coffin of my Jazz membership.

The Jazz are special because it's Utah, our only pro franchise. Without it... it's just a name.
 
Sean said:
I think less committed than the Millers ever were.

I'm not saying he's gonna relocate the team to Vegas but at this point, as a financial investment, does this team make more in Vegas than Utah? Probably.

He also doesn't have investments locally that would be hurt significantly by blowback from local fans if he were to relocate the team (unlike the Millers and their dealership back when they owned the Jazz).

I guess there's the Bees and the arena, but he could sell both I'm sure.

I don't know. It seems unfathomable for the Jazz to not be located in Utah but who knows what Smith's local buy-in is?
Click to expand...
Slim to none he would move them.
 
Last edited:
Sean said:
I worry the NBA is fine leaving the market and the constant perception headaches that have come with it if it means they get a team in Vegas.

Granted, there was a huge push to keep the Kings in Sacramento and this would be a unique situation where the team isn't necessarily relocating because they don't have a state of the art arena and can't get one built (as was the case for Seattle and the Kings, unsuccessfully).

But who knows?
Click to expand...
Lol. Adam Silver is much more reasonable than Twitter Sean. Stern (and Silver) are actually pretty pro-this market. For instance, the hubbub over the legislature. The AS is not getting moved.
 
fallenchicken said:
Smith seems really committed to building up SLC. His whole life is here. He's not moving the team.
Click to expand...
He also just bought part ownership in Real Salt Lake. He uses them as a selling point to bring talent to Qualtrics in the market as well. He’s a huge BYU fan and supporter of those sports program. Ryan is quite Utah, and his investment in the state is very real.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top