KSL Editorial on RSL

[WorldBall]

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=70&sid=158141
KSL Editorials
by Duane Cardall
E-Mail Duane Cardall


Real Salt Lake
Mar. 30, 2005

Utah’s new major league soccer team, Real Salt Lake, will play its first league game in New York on Saturday. The team’s first home game will be two weeks later, on April 16 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. KSL hopes the very best for Real Salt Lake as the organization’s inaugural season gets underway.

As much as we’d like to see professional soccer succeed here, though, we remain skeptical of any plan that would require taxpayers to help foot the bill for a new soccer-specific stadium for the team. Governor Huntsman and the team’s owners spoke recently of developing a “new model” for public-private stadium funding. And Real Salt Lake executives have asked for “open minds” regarding funding until the organization actually presents its business plan.

For the time being, KSL is willing to wait and see what they come up with, realizing Real Salt Lake officials have a major selling job to do. Let the franchise prove its value through one season, and then another at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Let’s see if people actually buy tickets and attend the games. Demonstrate to the community that some form of public investment might, indeed, be justified. Only then, in KSL’s view, should serious consideration be given to what Real Salt Lake is after.

[bordelais7]

Sounds like what others have already said. Although I have serious doubts that they'll stick to their statements that if RSL is really successful over a couple of seasons that they'll be all for looking into a stadium. I think they're trying to set themselves up for a big "Ha! I told you so!" in 2 years.

Let's hope they're wrong.

[Aero]

Sounds like the pretty typical response to me. There's certainly nothing new there.

[clarette]

Has anyone told KSL that they're supposed to cover, like, news? Not rehashing of stuff from three weeks ago?

[Aero]

For the moment, I'm willing to give KSL a little slack since they are the ones televising some of the games. They'd get even more if they had followed through on the original plan to cover all of them.

[the cup]

Do we realize how big of a responsibility we have as Loyalists?

We can play a big role in making the team successful by creating an atmosphere that will make the games fun and make people want to come back.

Get your flag made if you haven't already!

And bring a friend or two to the games. I'd like to see at least 100 Loyalists at each game. I think that is a realistic number we can achieve and one that we will need to have a well working and influential supporters group.