“We have a generational opportunity to invest in the west side and to connect our city in a positive way.”
– Steve Starks

In a recent article from the Salt Lake Tribune, Gordon Monson gave an update on Big League Utah’s efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Salt Lake City. 

Monson writes that Big League Utah – spearheaded by the Larry H. Miller Company and the Miller family – conducted a statewide market survey gauging community interest in bringing MLB to SLC. The results were overwhelmingly positive, with 90% of community members supporting an MLB team making its home in the Beehive state. On the heels of those findings, new renderings of the ballpark and its surrounding development are soon to be released. 

The proposed development is expected to boost Salt Lake City’s economy, social connection and sense of community. In addition to the MLB stadium, the planned development will include retail, restaurants, entertainment, housing, and more. 

Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company and head of the Big League Utah Coalition, said, “We have a generational opportunity to invest in the west side and to connect our city in a positive way. It wouldn’t solve every problem, but if our community can imagine it, can lean into it, if it rallies, it will see what’s possible in that space in the Power District.”

The Miller family, who has decades of experience owning and managing professional sports teams in Utah, is integral to making this happen, and they are passionate about bringing an MLB team to Salt Lake City. Their involvement in the project is seen as a significant factor in the awarding of an expansion team. In addition, the coalition is confident in the strength of the market, Utah’s population growth, the state of the local economy, and the support of government leaders and residents.

If Salt Lake City is selected as an expansion location by MLB, Monson hints at its potential to become a catalyst to the community, much like other professional sports teams in the state and the upcoming 2034 Olympic Games.

Read the full article by Gordon Monson on SLTrib.com

KSL’s Carter Williams details the recently launched Big League Utah stadium survey.

SALT LAKE CITY — The coalition behind Utah’s attempt to bring in a Major League Baseball team launched a new online survey Tuesday, seeking more feedback on what a possible new stadium should look like if it does land a team in the near future.

The public survey seeks to collect “insights, preferences and feedback” regarding a potential team and stadium, according to Big League Utah, a coalition of prominent Utahns backing an effort for a team. It asks Utahns about their thoughts on the major leagues and about various aspects of a future team, including stadium design, seating, ticket packages, amenities and anything else that a future stadium could offer.

All of the questions about seating and pricing is hypothetical, organization officials explain. Any information gathered from the online survey, which remains open through Sept. 4, will be added to an economic feasibility study that the coalition is currently working on.

“Feedback from the community is vital to our efforts,” said Amanda Covington, spokeswoman for Big League Utah, in a statement. “We are excited to hear the community’s thoughts on bringing an MLB team to Utah.”

Big League Utah publicly launched its campaign to bring in a major league expansion team in April, announcing that they have a “preferred shovel-ready site” for a new stadium in Salt Lake City’s new Power District. If built in that spot, it would be a key feature of about 100 acres of land that Rocky Mountain Power plans to redevelop in the future.

Larry H. Miller CEO Steve Starks, who is one of the coalition’s leaders, said at the time that the group met with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in New York City last year to discuss Utah as a future market as the league considers expanding from 30 to 32 teams.

The new survey follows focus group sessions that Big League Utah held last month that also sought feedback on the future construction of a possible ballpark.

The timeline for expansion is still vague, though. Manfred told reporters during the MLB’s All-Star break last month that the league is looking to form an expansion committee “pretty shortly” after the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays finalize their future stadium plans; the former is all but set to relocate to Las Vegas.

Salt Lake City is one of a few U.S. cities that have expressed interest in expansion. The list also includes Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; and Orlando, Florida among other possible landing spots for a future MLB club.

Check out the article by Carter Williams on KSL.