Welcome To Utah — Project FANchise

Salt Lake City baby. As I’m sure most of you are aware of, Project FANchise announced that The Maverik Center in Salt Lake City will be home to the greatest IFL team to date. Speaking of which, get your name ideas submitted as the fan vote will be soon. You don’t want to miss out. I want to take this opportunity to get ourselves acquainted with the great state of Utah and what there will be to look forward to when our team takes the field next year.

First of all, The Maverik Center is absolutely gorgeous. Since it opened in 1997, it has been a premier venue for concerts from many different types of artists. Guys like Neil Diamond and Elton John to bands such as Linkin Park and the Jonas Brothers have all played there. Don’t forget about my girl Gwen Stefani. They have hosted productions anywhere from Sesame Street live to WWE Smackdown. I’m not even sure the Patriots are that versatile. In addition, they are currently home to the Utah Grizzlies. Soon, they will be home to Project FANchise. The arena can pack up to 12,000 intense fans who will be rooting on the FANchise next year. The coolest thing about the Maverik center though? It was the host venue to many of the 2002 Winter Olympic Hockey Games.

Utah has a rich sports history that I cannot wait to see Project FANchise add onto. The Utah Jazz have a young and promising team that should compete with the NBA’s best in the coming years. However, there is a noticeable lack of football around Utah, and that is where Project FANchise will fill in. Football fans are all over the world, and it’s time for Utah to be given their own team. Oh, and we’ll be better than the Utah Blaze were. Utah has had some very significant sporting moments over the years. Let’s talk about some of the biggies.

The 1998 Utah NCAA National Basketball Championship Run

Talk about an underdog, Utah shocked the basketball world as they put together a dominant year led by point guard Andre Miller. Despite losing star Keith Van Horn, they rallied together and were dominant enough to snag a three seed in the tourney. From there, they went on a run. In the elite 8, they faced off against number one seed Arizona. Let’s just say not too many people had them winning. What happened? It was obliteration. Utah killed them. It was never in doubt. Andre Miller dropped a triple double in what was a devastating loss for Arizona. What did they do in the final four you may ask? Oh, just beat another number one seed in UNC. Although the run ended with a championship loss to Kentucky, it was still one of the most magical basketball moments in Utah history.

1997–98 NBA Finals

In 1997, the Utah Jazz had one baaad man named Karl Malone. Malone led the Jazz to their first finals appearance in franchise history after going a stellar 64–18. Coupled with legend John Stockton, they were a tough tough opponent. Oh, and ask any Utahnion, (Is that what you guys are called?) where they were when Stockton hit the magical shot to send the Jazz to the ’97 finals. They can tell you for sure. Malone also dropped 27.4 a game and won the MVP award. Stud. The 1997 finals was also home to the legendary Michael Jordan flu game when he dropped 38 points despite needing to be helped off the court by his teammates. The 1998 finals will live in infamy as one of the most controversial plays of all time. Everyone remembers when Jordan stole the ball from Malone, and hit a championship shot. The only problem? He may have illegally pushed Bryon Russell in a call still debated amongst officials today. Anywho, the 1997 and 1998 finals were the epitome of two great teams dueling it out to be the best.

The 2002 Olympics

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Written by Jack Stevenson