Speaker 1: Second got a historic day today out in Sandy in America.
Speaker 1: First Field unfortunately not downtown here in Salt Lake City,
Speaker 1: where there's a parking lot where a soccer stadium should be.
Speaker 1: Our next guest broke the news last night for The Athletic.
Speaker 1: He was able to actually get at the price point
Speaker 1: that the Miller family has purchased the controlling steak or
Speaker 1: Real sal Lake and the Utah Royals for a six
Speaker 1: hundred million dollar price tag. In Christopher Camaradi from the
Speaker 1: Athletic is good enough to grace us with his presence
Speaker 1: and studio on a chili day.
Speaker 2: We got you out of the house. I'm impressed.
Speaker 3: So we're dressed like we're matching. Well, I mean we
Speaker 3: are matching basically.
Speaker 1: Yeah, basically black hoodies. Are you protesting the cold weather
Speaker 1: with that? I decided to address it all black because I'm
Speaker 1: pro testing thirty eight degree weather in April.
Speaker 3: I don't know what it is man, the older I get,
Speaker 3: I just feel like black is my color. I don't
Speaker 3: know what it is.
Speaker 2: No for no reason, no reason.
Speaker 1: Well, Porter will tell you this is how I'm dressed
Speaker 1: every day in the winter. Yeah, when the when the
Speaker 1: spring actually springs, and the summer is actually warm. I'll
Speaker 1: mix it up a little bit, but give me my
Speaker 1: black sweat sweatsheit.
Speaker 3: All day like a titleist polo.
Speaker 1: Maybe you know my relationship with the breatheable golf polos.
Speaker 1: I have several. Oh, by the way, I'm giving some away.
Speaker 1: Do you have any interest? Do you want to go
Speaker 1: through them?
Speaker 3: I only accept Rome gear.
Speaker 1: So okay, fair enough? Do you want to go through
Speaker 1: my golf shirts? I'm giving away a grip of them.
Speaker 2: Tell Chris to back off the roa gear.
Speaker 1: By the way, well, I'll split it equally with equally
Speaker 1: with all of you. Well, Chris, it is great to
Speaker 1: see you, and we do have some breaking news about
Speaker 1: a striker that reportedly is on his way to our cell.
Speaker 1: But before we get there, take us through what you
Speaker 1: wrote and your thoughts on this transaction. As ourssel has
Speaker 1: now been sold to the Miller family.
Speaker 3: Well, as we've heard today, they had their official formal
Speaker 3: announcement and press conference out at America First Field. All
Speaker 3: the major parties were there involved, the governor was there.
Speaker 3: I think there were some church officials there as well,
Speaker 3: So all the heavy hitters were out in attendance. In
Speaker 3: Sandy my colleague and I Paultonorio, who is our lead
Speaker 3: men's American soccer writer at the Athletic. We spent the
Speaker 3: last day basically trying to nail down the overall valuation
Speaker 3: price point for what the sale was going to end
Speaker 3: up as and we've had you know, multiple league sources
Speaker 3: across the landscape of MLSN, NWSL break it down for us.
Speaker 3: We confirmed that RSL sold for four hundred and forty
Speaker 3: million dollars. The Royals went for one to ten, and
Speaker 3: then you know, various escalators basically got it up to
Speaker 3: six hundred million. And if you look at what David
Speaker 3: Blitzer and Ryan Smith bought it for basically a little
Speaker 3: over the three years ago, now I think that was
Speaker 3: about four hundred million, But that was before the Royals
Speaker 3: were back. Remember, A great piece of business done by
Speaker 3: Blitzer and Ryan at the time was being able to
Speaker 3: lock in a two million dollar expansion rights price point
Speaker 3: fee to bring the Royals back after they had left.
Speaker 3: So when this first started percolating, I want to say
Speaker 3: a couple months ago, I mean David Blitzer told me
Speaker 3: last night that he reached out to the Millers around
Speaker 3: the holiday seasoned engauge whether or not they wanted to
Speaker 3: be the local anchor majority owner that he was searching for.
Speaker 3: This was percolating for a few months now they finally
Speaker 3: get it across the finish line, but it was clear
Speaker 3: that Blitzer wanted and it makes sense he wanted to
Speaker 3: have somebody low who was going to be the day
Speaker 3: to day majority owner to usher in yet another new
Speaker 3: era for RSL and the Royals.
Speaker 1: So I was digging into some of these specifics here.
Speaker 1: Ryan Smith Ashley Smith seg Entertainment Group out entirely.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Paul, and I reported that I think at the
Speaker 3: end of March.
Speaker 1: Okay, ye, So the synergy between Dave Blitzer his group
Speaker 1: and the Miller family and their group, do you have
Speaker 1: any inside there? So the Millers are the controlling owners now,
Speaker 1: so they will have say in whatever they want. Dave Blitzer,
Speaker 1: I think it's eight clubs across the landscape of Europe
Speaker 1: the Blitzer umbrella. So that's a relationship that you want
Speaker 1: to maintain. So is the line of delineation as clear
Speaker 1: as the Millers have the business and Blitzer has the
Speaker 1: soccer or is it a little more complicated.
Speaker 3: No, it's not. And David kind of said that today
Speaker 3: and his presser he said, like he wants to be
Speaker 3: more involved now on the soccer operation side. He is
Speaker 3: a soccer junkie, like he grew up playing it. Obviously,
Speaker 3: he own majority or entire stakes in several clubs overseas,
Speaker 3: and I think, honestly, this is probably the most useful
Speaker 3: area that that David can help rsl out in. I mean,
Speaker 3: he's a guy who is worth a lot of money
Speaker 3: and he has a lot of irons in the fire
Speaker 3: at all times, you know, as you know, he's involved
Speaker 3: with the Sixers, the Devils, the Commanders, the list goes
Speaker 3: on and on. The Millers now are going to basically
Speaker 3: be the be the point guard, shooting guard, small forward,
Speaker 3: power forward center using all the old basketball cleasues and
Speaker 3: the sixth man and the sixth man.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 3: So yeah, I mean the priority for David Blitzer was
Speaker 3: to have a majority local owner who can run day
Speaker 3: to day operations. And you can make an argument he
Speaker 3: was lucky that the Millers were waiting there now, Paul
Speaker 3: and I did report that, you know, he offered Ryan
Speaker 3: Smith right a first refusal last fall with everything that
Speaker 3: Ryan had going on bringing in the hockey team and
Speaker 3: the Jazz and the Delta Center revamp and all the
Speaker 3: downtown stuff. You know that Smith declined and David was
Speaker 3: lucky enough to have a long tenured local sports franchise
Speaker 3: Steward in the Millers be waiting for waiting in the wings.
Speaker 3: But it had to be, you know, as they always say,
Speaker 3: had to be the right fit. And it was the
Speaker 3: right fit.
Speaker 1: Sure, sure, And I worked for the Millers for seven
Speaker 1: years and I can speak to the type of company
Speaker 1: they run and the type of people that they are.
Speaker 1: And I know, I know Steve Starks and Steve Miller
Speaker 1: and Greg and Gail had a chance to sit with
Speaker 1: them and some other media members yesterday as they walked
Speaker 1: us through kind of their mindset and their mentality. So
Speaker 1: I'll ask you, Cek, somebody who once upon a time
Speaker 1: was hanging out with David Beckham at a record store
Speaker 1: downtown when real Madrid was here a rip Virgin, a
Speaker 1: right T Virgin Records and was a real Madrid ral
Speaker 1: Sawlake as a patron and has kind of seeing all
Speaker 1: of the iterations of RSL either as somebody who would
Speaker 1: attend games then in the media covering them. And now
Speaker 1: we transfer over to this day, what do you what
Speaker 1: sort of benefits do you think this could bring ral
Speaker 1: saw Lake. What's what's the buzz the feel around the
Speaker 1: ownership transition?
Speaker 3: Yet again, Yeah, it's it's a franchise that finds itself
Speaker 3: in a very unique position. We don't see many major
Speaker 3: professional sports franchises change ownership three times basically in four years.
Speaker 3: But this is where RSL finds itself in the Royals
Speaker 3: as well. I'm going to continue to just be this
Speaker 3: guy on your show. Ninety percent of fans just want
Speaker 3: and infuse of allocated resources to make their team fun
Speaker 3: to watch and make them be good bottom line, end
Speaker 3: of story. It's a lit'll. It's easier in soccer as
Speaker 3: opposed to the NBA. You have if you're willing to
Speaker 3: splash the cash, so to speak, if you're willing to
Speaker 3: shell out the resources to maintain a competitive roster, both
Speaker 3: on the professional men's and women's side. You know, from
Speaker 3: a Royals point of view, like when they came in
Speaker 3: man heaviest hitters like World Cup stars Becky Sowerbroun, Kelly O'Hara,
Speaker 3: Kristin Press came here. This iteration of the Royals still
Speaker 3: trying to figure out who they are. The league is
Speaker 3: a little different. A lot of our American women's soccer
Speaker 3: players aren't necessarily chomping at the bit to play here
Speaker 3: there a lot of them are playing in Europe. And
Speaker 3: on the men's side, we've been talking about it for months.
Speaker 3: It's like, can the Millers or are the Millers willing
Speaker 3: to invest the amount of money necessary to get this
Speaker 3: team to be a contender in a very difficult conference,
Speaker 3: in a league that now demands so much more money
Speaker 3: in order to just have you know, your name and
Speaker 3: the hat at the end of the season as opposed
Speaker 3: to what it was, you know, five six years ago.
Speaker 1: The Royals piece of this is pretty interesting, right, So
Speaker 1: one hundred and ten mil for the Royals and valuations
Speaker 1: across the landscape of the NWSL have skyrocket, Y's correct, yep,
Speaker 1: So what sort of and they you know they Ali
Speaker 1: Senader is one of the bright young stars in America
Speaker 1: as far as female soccer players go, and she's been
Speaker 1: really good for them. So before we get back to
Speaker 1: the RSL side, we'll talk about the breaking news of
Speaker 1: the striker. What a information, if any at all, do
Speaker 1: you have about how motivated the Millers were to do
Speaker 1: this because of the Royals portion of the deal.
Speaker 3: Well, I mean it's a package deal. It was always
Speaker 3: going to be a package deal, as it should be.
Speaker 3: The Royals are unique in that they are, like I said,
Speaker 3: they're trying to figure out who they are as a club. Still,
Speaker 3: they're trying to accumulate talent. You know, Alie sent no
Speaker 3: Or is one of the bright young American talents we
Speaker 3: have in our game. But beyond that, I mean they're
Speaker 3: they're you know, the goalkeepers very good as well. She's
Speaker 3: been had some national team senior team call ups recently.
Speaker 3: But it's it's at the risk of sounding shallow, star
Speaker 3: power matters anywhere, and if you can have star power here,
Speaker 3: I think that that is a huge reason why I
Speaker 3: think the first iteration of the Royals exploded the way
Speaker 3: it did was because, like you had three people who
Speaker 3: were basically rotational, rotational or starters for the US women's
Speaker 3: national team who were you know, winning World Cups. Now
Speaker 3: it's they're trying to figure it out, man, Like it's
Speaker 3: it's hard. And you mentioned the valuations of NWSL skyrocketing.
Speaker 3: They are skyrocketing because Denver, I think is had to
Speaker 3: pace something similar to what the Royals sold for just
Speaker 3: as one yeah, and the San Diego Waves sold for
Speaker 3: one to twenty last year. So this league was kind
Speaker 3: of on shaky ground as recently as four or five
Speaker 3: years ago, and now, thankfully, like you're just seeing the
Speaker 3: other side of the coin and it's pretty healthy.
Speaker 1: So when the Royals left us the first time, the
Speaker 1: final year here, they averaged ten thousand fans per match,
Speaker 1: which was second to the Portland franchise at the time.
Speaker 1: I don't have up to date numbers, but I can
Speaker 1: tell you it's not close.
Speaker 2: To ten thousand.
Speaker 3: No, it's not.
Speaker 1: So what sort of yeah, and you referenced the star power, like,
Speaker 1: I don't think we fully realized like exactly how powerful
Speaker 1: that group was. What sort of steps need to be
Speaker 1: taken to get that number back up? Because if the
Speaker 1: fans came, then they'll come again if they have a
Speaker 1: reason to.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And again, it's all right, it's the almighty dollars,
Speaker 3: right and checks. The man with the gold makes the rules,
Speaker 3: that's you. That's your gold rule. And it makes sense
Speaker 3: always again, if you are willing to invest, fans will come,
Speaker 3: fans will pay, fans will watch from home. If they're
Speaker 3: not paying, like, this is a market that is willing
Speaker 3: to fall in love with a team that is good
Speaker 3: at what it does, that has players that are good,
Speaker 3: that play an attractive style of whatever sport they're playing.
Speaker 3: We've seen that with the Jazz, We've seen it with
Speaker 3: RSEL over the years. When the Royals were here the
Speaker 3: first time they had a tremendous amount of talent, you
Speaker 3: just got a pony up man. And for a long time,
Speaker 3: especially under the Deloy Hanson era, RSL was lagging behind.
Speaker 3: And I know the Blitzer group with Ryan Smith kind
Speaker 3: of changed that. You know, they spent six million dollars
Speaker 3: for Chichio Orongo. But as we've talked about on the
Speaker 3: show last couple of months, like now that gets you
Speaker 3: a that gets you a rotational squad player, that gets
Speaker 3: you a solid fifth to six player if you're going
Speaker 3: to compete. And that's just the way it is now.
Speaker 1: New World, New World, which brings us to and look,
Speaker 1: it's I'm smarting a little bit because every RSL guest
Speaker 1: I've had on over the past i don't know, two
Speaker 1: or three months since and you and I talked about this,
Speaker 1: since the rumors surfaced that there was this ownership transition
Speaker 1: taking place. Whether it was Kurt or Jason or Tony
Speaker 1: or Pablo or John, whoever it was. Whenever we talk
Speaker 1: about are you guys making additions, Yes, we're working on it,
Speaker 1: I would say, well, is the potential ownership transition getting
Speaker 1: in the way, And they all said no, Well the
Speaker 1: ownership transition is done. And an hour later we find
Speaker 1: out that Robert Bozanik Bosanique, Robert Bosanique a Slovakian striker
Speaker 1: and the Slovakian national team.
Speaker 2: You know, they're like a top fifty national team year
Speaker 2: in and year out.
Speaker 1: They strike me as a team that John Paul would
Speaker 1: use to beat me in FIFA one nil and you
Speaker 1: don't really make me up. Said, but this striker has
Speaker 1: had several caps with the Slovakian national team. He's twenty
Speaker 1: five years old. Robert hit me again. Bosanique Bosanique. Robert Bosanique,
Speaker 1: according to reports, has been signed and is on his
Speaker 1: way to play for RSL.
Speaker 2: So what's your reaction to the breaking.
Speaker 3: News coincidence on the day that ownership group.
Speaker 1: Of course, not right, it can't be. There's no way
Speaker 1: it's coincidence. They just all lied to me. And now
Speaker 1: I've got a bone to pick with all of them.
Speaker 3: If you're track, if you're looking at the player profile
Speaker 3: of what RSSEL likes to go after at the moment,
Speaker 3: it makes sense a guy who has success with his
Speaker 3: senior national team, who is in and out of a
Speaker 3: decent club in Portugal from a starting eleven rot point
Speaker 3: of view, but he's twenty five six'. TWO rsl guys
Speaker 3: have told you on your show ad nauseum that they
Speaker 3: are sign and develop. Club now this is a potentially
Speaker 3: different deal, because LIKE i don't know what The portuguese
Speaker 3: LEAGUE i, mean top. Heavy if you're talking about Like
Speaker 3: Sporting lisbon And, porto it BLOWS mls out of the.
Speaker 3: Water but as a you, know if you're measuring the
Speaker 3: bottom of the barrel over there versus what we have,
Speaker 3: HERE i would imagine it kind of evens out a little.
Speaker 3: Bit BUT i. Can't i'm trying to. Think last TIME i,
Speaker 3: SAW i think he had like thirteen goals in the
Speaker 3: last two years, there so not a tremendously high goal scoring.
Speaker 3: Rate but it's a guy who gets run with his
Speaker 3: national team In europe and it's a decent national. Team
Speaker 3: it's a you, know a guy who used to play
Speaker 3: here for a while was on that national team In Albert,
Speaker 3: rusnak and he was a really good, signing you, know
Speaker 3: one of the best international signings at RSL's ever. HAD
Speaker 3: i wonder if If robert talked To albert, about you,
Speaker 3: know living here and making that move. Beforehand but it's
Speaker 3: a move that had to be. Done it is kind
Speaker 3: of very ironic that this news gets broken a few
Speaker 3: hours after the ownership group is officially.
Speaker 1: Announced, well it has to be the thing we were waiting.
Speaker 1: For AND i don't even, Like i'm not saying there's
Speaker 1: anything wrong with, That like obviously if you're if You're David,
Speaker 1: BLITZER i WOULD i Guess i'll Include. RYAN i don't
Speaker 1: know The ryan was ever all that committed to any
Speaker 1: of this. Stuff but if you're on the ownership side
Speaker 1: and you're the one that's BEING asketerrt to, check because
Speaker 1: the reports are this is a designated, player so this
Speaker 1: is not a cheap.
Speaker 2: Player we'll see what the final number looks.
Speaker 1: Like you would want to wait for the thumbs up
Speaker 1: from your new, bosses who The millers are now they
Speaker 1: have the controlling, Stakes so, YES i would imagine this
Speaker 1: was something that was in the pipeline for a few,
Speaker 1: weeks as our Guy Tom boger talked, about and they
Speaker 1: had to wait for the green light from the new
Speaker 1: ownership group to get it. DONE i, mean it's probably
Speaker 1: as simple as, That chris anything it.
Speaker 3: Is But tom REPORTED i think late last week maybe
Speaker 3: or earlier this, week that talks have had stalled With
Speaker 3: bozonique and Boa vista and THAT rsl was looking at
Speaker 3: potentially other. Options so the fact that that got, public,
Speaker 3: generally when that gets, public it means things soured and
Speaker 3: they have to move on to another. Target the fact
Speaker 3: that a very well sourced report like the PREMIER mls
Speaker 3: reporter reported that and it's eventually got over the line is.
Speaker 3: FASCINATING i wonder what potential you, know contractual or number
Speaker 3: dispute was at the forefront of. That but now that
Speaker 3: it's over the, line it's it just had to, happen,
Speaker 3: Man and now you got to get him here as
Speaker 3: soon as humanly.
Speaker 1: Possible and that's the issue because it's not just getting him,
Speaker 1: here it's getting them acclimated with the coaching staff and the.
Speaker 1: Players and the primary transfer window closes next, Wednesday, yeah Next,
Speaker 1: Wednesday so how long then we'll move on to some other.
Speaker 1: Stuff how long is it reasonable to expect before he
Speaker 1: is on the, ground acclimated in the eleven and actually
Speaker 1: doing some, Things.
Speaker 3: So it'll depend on when it's officially. Announced there's a
Speaker 3: thing called AN, itc which is an international transfer CERTIFICATE
Speaker 3: i believe it stands. For and that is the huge
Speaker 3: kind of that's just got to go through relatively quick
Speaker 3: BECAUSE i think If i'm going back to my beat
Speaker 3: right days and my brain serves me, correctly that is
Speaker 3: also usually contingent on helping a player get a visa as.
Speaker 3: Well and the faster you can get all that stuff ironed,
Speaker 3: out the faster they can be on a plane here
Speaker 3: and be, comfortably you, know starting to. Acclimate but if
Speaker 3: we're talking about what is today the, eighteenth the day
Speaker 3: is the. Eighteenth if we're guess IF i was to
Speaker 3: guess what his first start would, Be i'd probably say
Speaker 3: a month from. Now and that's being, generous all.
Speaker 2: Right last thing.
Speaker 1: Here Non, garber commissioner Of Major League, soccer was there
Speaker 1: for the, announcement as Was Dave, blitzer And don made a.
Speaker 1: Comment he looked around and, said people ask him all the,
Speaker 1: time will soccer make it In, america and he, said
Speaker 1: looking around at this, event it's clear that soccer has
Speaker 1: made it In. America the other thing that continues to
Speaker 1: be talked, about AND i Promise i'm not. Chuckling it's
Speaker 1: just ironic that The World, cup it's going to be
Speaker 1: played in our, region and then The Women's World cup
Speaker 1: that's coming as, well will serve as this. Boom then
Speaker 1: once again soccer will ride to the stratosphere of whatever that.
Speaker 1: Means it's exactly the same thing that was said in
Speaker 1: two thousand and four to two thousand and, two the
Speaker 1: very same. Thing AND i do feel soccer as a
Speaker 1: footprint here in a way that most people maybe never
Speaker 1: thought it would. Be but is it realistic to expect
Speaker 1: this thing to? Grow and do you think The World
Speaker 1: cup and the footprint that it will leave here will
Speaker 1: have this tangible effect that everybody keeps talking.
Speaker 3: About that's a great, question. Man LIKE i mean going
Speaker 3: back to you can make an argument that your dad
Speaker 3: doesn't want to bring a soccer club here if not
Speaker 3: for the success OF o. Two like everything is part
Speaker 3: of a, timeline so to. Speak but if we're talking
Speaker 3: about domestic professional, SOCCER i don't know how much further
Speaker 3: we can go in the current setup of WHAT mls
Speaker 3: is in the single entity. STRUCTURE i think for the
Speaker 3: professional soccer in this country to break free of, that
Speaker 3: it needs to do that exactly and be a free.
Speaker 3: Market whoever can spend the most cash spends the most
Speaker 3: cash into the victor goes the. Spoils AND i know
Speaker 3: that sounds kind of, depressing but you can make an
Speaker 3: argument THAT mls is nearing that. POINT i, MEAN i, think, shoot,
Speaker 3: man With San, diego we're like at the thirty thirty
Speaker 3: one teams or something. Like there are so many teams
Speaker 3: in this league. NOW i do think fans will get you,
Speaker 3: know excited once again next. Summer but for a lot of,
Speaker 3: folks it's kind of like The. Olympics it's like they
Speaker 3: get super stoked every four, years and after that they're, like,
Speaker 3: Man i'll go back to watching The steelers lose or
Speaker 3: praying The jazz Get cooper, flag you.
Speaker 2: Know WHAT i.
Speaker 3: Mean, yeah, YEAH i just don't know what that next
Speaker 3: step is outside of you, know a semi final for
Speaker 3: the men's national. Team the women's team has handled. IT i,
Speaker 3: mean obviously you want to, see you, know the Pro
Speaker 3: the pro model here will grow on that. Side but
Speaker 3: other than, that IT'S i just don't know what the
Speaker 3: next step is BECAUSE i feel LIKE mls is pretty
Speaker 3: healthy compared to you know where it was you mentioned
Speaker 3: two thousand and two way. BACK i mean it was
Speaker 3: it was on shaky ground back. Then, man it was all.
Speaker 1: Right last thing, here then we'll catch a quick break
Speaker 1: in the stratosphere of The miller family and what they
Speaker 1: have in their stable now and what they're trying to
Speaker 1: do With Major League. Baseball the power district is right out,
Speaker 1: here just kind of let's, see it would be northwest
Speaker 1: of where we're. At AS i always reference the irony
Speaker 1: of me working in the studio IS i can literally
Speaker 1: look south and see the parking lot where the stadium
Speaker 1: was supposed to. Be do you have any insight as
Speaker 1: to whether or not the long term goal for The
Speaker 1: millers AND rsl is to build a soccer specific stadium
Speaker 1: out this way next to Their Major League baseball facility
Speaker 1: out in Sau, lake or is the plan to improve
Speaker 1: the bones and the infrastructure and whatever they need to
Speaker 1: do to kind of touch up the stadium out south
Speaker 1: a little. Bit do you have any insight as to
Speaker 1: where their long term plan is.
Speaker 3: Not, personally our friends at The Trebany larsen And Kevin
Speaker 3: reynolds talk to the mayor Of sandy today and, apparently you,
Speaker 3: know The millers are wanting to beef up the sports
Speaker 3: and entertainment area In sandy around aff.
Speaker 2: And it is right across the street from their main
Speaker 2: corporate ox.
Speaker 3: Erect but if we're talking about this pie in the
Speaker 3: sky theoretical scenario that you, know The Tampa Bay rays
Speaker 3: finally say peace To florida and they move, here they
Speaker 3: have an area, earmarked it would potentially make a lot
Speaker 3: of sense way far down the line for them to.
Speaker 3: Consolidate but in the, Meantime i've been told that their
Speaker 3: priority is improving specs Around America First. Field and it's
Speaker 3: kind of crazy to think, about, man, like we're sneaking
Speaker 3: up on this thing getting to be twenty years old
Speaker 3: in the next couple of, years and these facilities age
Speaker 3: quickly and there are upgrades. Necessary but that is What
Speaker 3: i've been told is the. Priority in terms of you,
Speaker 3: know a competing fellow downtown sports mecha that would be
Speaker 3: competing with The jazz and The Utah Hockey. CLUB i
Speaker 3: think that's very much far down the.
Speaker 1: Line fair, enough all, Right Christopher, Camaradie Liven. Studio we'll
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Speaker 1: Of the program coming up in just a little. Bit
Speaker 1: the sun is trying, really really. Hard sun is trying
Speaker 1: really hard to come. Out woke up this morning to
Speaker 1: thirty eight degrees in. Snow it's Springing. Utah Christopher camaraie
Speaker 1: live in studio for one more big. Segment big news
Speaker 1: the day today that The miller family has purchased the
Speaker 1: controlling stake OF rayl Saw. Lake Dave blitzer stays on
Speaker 1: and his group will maintain their. Presence do you have any, Idea,
Speaker 1: chris before we move? On Scott crace has Been Dave
Speaker 1: blitzer's ownership rep out here and he's essentially been the
Speaker 1: voice that everyone has to answer. To john on the business,
Speaker 1: Side kurt on the soccer. Side does he maintain his?
Speaker 1: Presence you, KNOW.
Speaker 3: I have not been told that concretely one way or the,
Speaker 3: other but it wouldn't surprise me If scott stays involved
Speaker 3: on the day to day soccer operation side of.
Speaker 1: This, okay fair, enough so we'll learn more about how
Speaker 1: this is going to. Unfold and the news came down
Speaker 1: about an hour after the ownership announcement was.
Speaker 2: Complete That, robert you can do. It bosanique nailed.
Speaker 1: It give me some, time, Okay Robert bosanique is not
Speaker 1: his ways A slovakian striker to play FOR. Rsl do
Speaker 1: you think there's any other? Additions do you think this
Speaker 1: is the only one we only got five days before?
Speaker 3: Close IF i were to, GUESS i would say maybe in,
Speaker 3: league like a trade of some. SORT i don't. KNOW
Speaker 3: i don't know if The millers are like here you, Go,
Speaker 3: kurt Go. Cook you, know, like we're going to follow
Speaker 3: through on what we said we're going to do. Asap
Speaker 3: my guess would be if there's another, edition it would
Speaker 3: come through the domestic.
Speaker 1: Ranks, well you, know a lot of the conversation about
Speaker 1: whether or not The millers would spend money seems to
Speaker 1: have been directed towards, well they never went into the
Speaker 1: luxury tax when they ran The. Jazz the luxury tax
Speaker 1: bill in THE nba is like one hundred and eighty
Speaker 1: five million. DOLLARS i find that a faults like equivalency IN.
Speaker 1: Mls you don't have to spend one hundred and eighty
Speaker 1: five million, dollars but you, know spend twenty or.
Speaker 2: Thirty AND i think The millers will do.
Speaker 3: That were they ever in a position where they really needed,
Speaker 3: to Because i'm trying to think they sold The jazz
Speaker 3: In october twenty, twenty Like donovan was still in his rookie, contract.
Speaker 2: Then like, YEAH i mean there's been maybe the.
Speaker 3: Go or the D Will boozer.
Speaker 1: Years maybe there's been some loose criticism over the years
Speaker 1: that they had a you, know teams that were really
Speaker 1: close to winning championships and they just decided not to
Speaker 1: spend the. MONEY i don't know that that's founded in
Speaker 1: a lot of, evidence you. Know but the point is,
Speaker 1: like they don't need to SPEND nba money ON, Mla,
Speaker 1: no not even.
Speaker 3: Close if you, can if you can carve out an
Speaker 3: allocated budget for THE rsl front office and The royals
Speaker 3: front office to be able to go out and spend
Speaker 3: money and bring in good, players it is a drop
Speaker 3: in the bucket compared to what you would have to
Speaker 3: pay for AN nba contender in the luxury tax in
Speaker 3: the second, apron, eight third, apron fourth. Apron you, know so.
Speaker 2: What but last, thing then let's move.
Speaker 1: ON i, mean based off of what you've seen from
Speaker 1: them so, far it has not been a great. Start
Speaker 1: it hasn't been a catastrophic, start but it hasn't been
Speaker 1: a great. Start toronto comes in. Tomorrow they have not
Speaker 1: won a game yet this. Year now that we know
Speaker 1: a nine's on the, way let's give them the benefit
Speaker 1: of the. Doubt let's say one more attacking piece is.
Speaker 1: Added what do you think we see FROM rsl this.
Speaker 3: Year it's hard to. Say they look so lost in
Speaker 3: the final third so. Often they're only good attacking player
Speaker 3: this year has Been Diego LUNA i, mean the guy
Speaker 3: that started The Champions league games four Stor iago is
Speaker 3: now playing for The, monarchs which is kind of WHAT
Speaker 3: i mentioned at the, time like he was a very
Speaker 3: big band aid at the. Moment gonzalez had a decent
Speaker 3: run Against, nashville but nowhere near productive enough to you,
Speaker 3: know be what you're paying him to, be and their
Speaker 3: defense has been pretty shoddy at. TIMES i, Mean cabral
Speaker 3: has been a great. ADDITION i kind of shudder at
Speaker 3: the idea of what this first eight games could look
Speaker 3: like if not for him And. Goal but it depends
Speaker 3: on how Quickly bosanique gets, acclimated if he can stay,
Speaker 3: healthy and if he can fit into the system That
Speaker 3: pablo wants to, play because you, Know pablo plays a
Speaker 3: very specific style that he wants his players to adapt,
Speaker 3: to And chico was good enough and versatile enough that
Speaker 3: he was kind of given free reign to kind of drop,
Speaker 3: deeper kind of played like a false, nine you know
Speaker 3: sometimes or even, soccer or like a secondary type ten
Speaker 3: When Anderson julio was up. TOP i don't Think Boza
Speaker 3: nique is that type of player. PROFILE i think he's
Speaker 3: a target guy that you're gonna want the likes Of
Speaker 3: gonsalves And Diego luna And Mark zuke to. Find but for,
Speaker 3: me it it sounds really. Dumb it's always going to
Speaker 3: come down to like how good can you be in
Speaker 3: front of? Goal AND rsl just. Hasn't they haven't been good.
Speaker 1: Enough any part of you surprise that The millers decided
Speaker 1: to get back involved in team, sports you, know because
Speaker 1: they had such a great thirty five forty year run
Speaker 1: with The. Jazz you, know it's. Interesting Steve miller yesterday
Speaker 1: talked about How jazz games were, stressful you, know and
Speaker 1: oftentimes when you're in the operating space or the ownership
Speaker 1: space for a, team it's really hard to enjoy what
Speaker 1: you're doing because everything is life or. Death AND i,
Speaker 1: think up till do this. BEFORE i have very much
Speaker 1: enjoyed this kind of phase of my life with sports
Speaker 1: consumption BECAUSE i do not have a family tie to any,
Speaker 1: team because every game is life or, death and you,
Speaker 1: know family, dinner the mood is predicated on whether or
Speaker 1: Not John starks made threes.
Speaker 3: Right, yeah sometimes he, did sometimes he didn't.
Speaker 1: Exactly and sometimes dinner was great and sometimes we're throwing
Speaker 1: plates against the. Wall it's a really weird thing when
Speaker 1: you experience cheering for a team when your family's livelihood
Speaker 1: is literally at, Stake and part of me wondered if
Speaker 1: The millers would just enjoy their real estate ventures and
Speaker 1: buying daybreak and they sold the, dealerships and the family
Speaker 1: has done such a great job of setting up this
Speaker 1: business in a way that generations will be taken care.
Speaker 1: Of And gail And greg And steve all talked about
Speaker 1: how they've formulated this business now under the umbrella to
Speaker 1: make sure that now it's A miller family two point
Speaker 1: zero is how they're calling. It and then the third,
Speaker 1: Generation greg gots twenty one, grandkids and you, KNOW i
Speaker 1: wondered if they would have enjoyed the being untethered from
Speaker 1: the pressure of running a sports team day in and day,
Speaker 1: out because it's a different type of Ask and it's,
Speaker 1: funny Man, like people from the outside looking, in you
Speaker 1: running sports teams and working for sports teams is tremendously.
Speaker 1: Glamorous it's not breaking. News it's like the exact.
Speaker 3: Opposite, yeah if you want to work like ninety hour
Speaker 3: weeks and be stressed out all the time.
Speaker 1: And never get paid until you're at the. Top as
Speaker 1: an owner or top level. Executive, LIKE i get people
Speaker 1: all the time, like, hey, MAN i badly want to
Speaker 1: work in.
Speaker 2: Sports what do you. Think i'm, like. Don't, yeah WHAT
Speaker 2: i think, is don't do.
Speaker 3: It you, know go get your real estate, License, yes.
Speaker 1: Start a startup, business passive income side. Hustles i'm speaking
Speaker 1: AT alfa con later this, year so if you want
Speaker 1: to tune, in you can do. That are you surprised
Speaker 1: that The millers decided they wanted to take this back on?
Speaker 3: WELL i Asked steve last night if it was a
Speaker 3: foregone conclusion that they would always get back into professional sports,
Speaker 3: here and he said it. Wasn't, like, AGAIN i do
Speaker 3: think a lot of things needed to align for them
Speaker 3: to get back in. It And steve And Steve starks
Speaker 3: mentioned several times going back to what we were talking
Speaker 3: about last, segment just the growth of the sport and
Speaker 3: how popular it is. HERE i Think steve mentioned, like
Speaker 3: we have like over one hundred thousand kids who play
Speaker 3: youth soccer In, utah which is among the highest in the.
Speaker 3: Country AND i don't, know, Man Like i'm not speaking for,
Speaker 3: them but, like if you've tasted, that it's kind of
Speaker 3: hard to relinquish it and it's a new, challenge like you.
Speaker 3: CAN i would assume that they're pretty. Recharged it's been five.
Speaker 3: YEARS i know they just got the B stadium, done
Speaker 3: but that's minor league. Baseball this is a little. Different
Speaker 3: like you're going to be owning a professional soccer franchise
Speaker 3: a year before The World cup comes to your. Country,
Speaker 3: yeah and granted we won't have games, here but the
Speaker 3: stakes are, high the interest will be, high AND i
Speaker 3: think you have so much more leeway to be creative
Speaker 3: and make it your own IN mls AND nwsl then
Speaker 3: you do THE, nba just because it's such a different
Speaker 3: type of sport and it's still. Growing and like you,
Speaker 3: mentioned like you cut a big enough check, man you
Speaker 3: can get butts in the seats and they'll stay there.
Speaker 1: Well and the other interesting, thing AND i honestly don't
Speaker 1: know how this is going to work, out but if
Speaker 1: you talk to, people and there's a juxtaposition, here Because
Speaker 1: Larry miller was a front, facing, energetic big. Personality he
Speaker 1: would go into the locker rooms after. Games there are
Speaker 1: stories of he And Frank laden butting heads because of personnel,
Speaker 1: decisions And larry at one point thought maybe he could coach, too,
Speaker 1: right and so you Know larry Would he got in
Speaker 1: a fight with A Denver nugget. Fan Like, Larry larry
Speaker 1: was a front, facing involved owner And larry passed sixteen years.
Speaker 1: Ago gail took over as the main steward and really
Speaker 1: was not as front facing and present.
Speaker 2: As larry was in this.
Speaker 1: Way, yeah she hired executives and coaches and then completely
Speaker 1: let them do their, jobs and she was. Involved, Like
Speaker 1: gail is not a shrinking, Violet she's not a. Wallflower
Speaker 1: she's very, smart very. Involved but a lot of stories
Speaker 1: like When kevin O'Connor decided that they needed to move.
Speaker 2: On From darren after The Darren jerry.
Speaker 1: Thing gail tells the story of Calling kevin in her
Speaker 1: office and, SAID i need you to explain to me
Speaker 1: while we're trading our best player in our point. Guard
Speaker 1: And kevin walked her through eye and she, said, Okay
Speaker 1: i'm gonna trust. You and you know that for an
Speaker 1: executive or a, coach that is a dream that is
Speaker 1: a dream, owner an absolute dream ownership. SITUATION i don't
Speaker 1: know how Involved gail is going to be with the soccer,
Speaker 1: club BUT i wonder if you've been able to get
Speaker 1: a feel for the type Of STEWART'S lb FOR. Rsl
Speaker 1: is it going to be kind of the same way
Speaker 1: where it's, like all, Right, kurt all, Right Tony, jason
Speaker 1: you do the, thing probably do the, thing and we're
Speaker 1: here to support you.
Speaker 3: Well and you left Out John, kimball which is probably
Speaker 3: the most important name because he worked at oursel The
Speaker 3: jazz then went back to our cel during the most
Speaker 3: tumultuous time.
Speaker 1: And here was that The jazz when The millers were the. Owner,
Speaker 1: correct we work closely With steve's.
Speaker 3: CORRECT i would this would be my. ASSUMPTION i don't
Speaker 3: know this that this deal and The miller strike me
Speaker 3: as A we're going to entrust you to try to
Speaker 3: do the job as best you. Can we're going to
Speaker 3: be in the box with our, friends with our. Kids
Speaker 3: let's we're going to give you all the tools necessary
Speaker 3: to build two rosters IN mls AND nwsl and let's
Speaker 3: see how it. Goes but, AGAIN i think fans will
Speaker 3: hold their feet to the, fire like you can't come
Speaker 3: in and spend six hundred million dollars on two teams
Speaker 3: in your own, backyard a place that you know, WELL
Speaker 3: i Mean Steve, stark's The, millers they Know, utahn's they
Speaker 3: Know utah sports. Fans it's not hard to win them.
Speaker 3: Over you just got to go out and do. It
Speaker 3: AND i Know i've said that a lot so, far
Speaker 3: but you have to follow through on what you're gonna.
Speaker 3: SAY i just don't. THINK i don't See Steve, miller you,
Speaker 3: know bursting down the tunnel at aff you, know mad
Speaker 3: at the VAR i don't see you, Know Gail matt
Speaker 3: about a yellow. Card that just doesn't really strike me
Speaker 3: as going down that. Way BUT i definitely think they'll be.
Speaker 3: INVOLVED i, mean it helps that they're right across the
Speaker 3: street from their, offices for.
Speaker 1: SURE i wonder if you think the because The miller's
Speaker 1: track record with The jazz speaks for. Itself, okay, yeah
Speaker 1: never a band or never a, championship but so many,
Speaker 1: years LIKE i don't, know, man it's three straight springs
Speaker 1: where this building downtown is quiet during THE nba, playoffs
Speaker 1: AND i hate it because it's one of my favorite
Speaker 1: things About spring In Utah's jazz playoff. Basketball you, know
Speaker 1: twenty Seventeen JAZZ Okc Young, donovan that building was popping.
Speaker 1: AWAY i don't think they was popping.
Speaker 2: Since the late.
Speaker 1: Nineties so The millers have tremendous data and examples that
Speaker 1: they're disposal of their time of the, jazz but how
Speaker 1: they're going to do it WITH? Rsl do you think
Speaker 1: the awkward early tenure of The Smith Entertainment group ownership
Speaker 1: over the jazz where they're losing at a historic level
Speaker 1: and they've had missteps here there Neon. Jerseys we could
Speaker 1: talk about a bunch of different things that we wanted to.
Speaker 1: Do you think it's changed the way that jazz fans
Speaker 1: view The millers as the owners OF, rsl with the
Speaker 1: way that as the owners of the, jazz with the
Speaker 1: way the jazz have been are being run right, NOW
Speaker 1: i don't think.
Speaker 3: SO i, MEAN i just think the roster was set,
Speaker 3: up the coaching staff was set up for, success and
Speaker 3: as all those guys have, said it just didn't work
Speaker 3: out for a multitude of, reasons and that happens in,
Speaker 3: sports like sometimes things don't go your way and a
Speaker 3: lot of times they. Don't this is why we don't
Speaker 3: have a banner here at The Delta. Center BUT i
Speaker 3: don't think that this is a indictment on The smith
Speaker 3: ownership group on where they are. Now they they made
Speaker 3: a move THAT i you, know as an, outsider as
Speaker 3: a sports, JOURNALIST i think they made the right. MOVE
Speaker 3: i know that you're looking at Potentially Quinn snyder coaching
Speaker 3: Against Donovan mitchell in the first round of The Eastern conference.
Speaker 3: PLAYOFFS i, mean isn't you can correct me If i'm,
Speaker 3: Wrong but isn't there a chance That donovan's in the
Speaker 3: mix FOR mvp this. YEAR i don't think he's gonna win,
Speaker 3: it but he'll probably be third or. Fourth, Yeah jokich OR,
Speaker 3: sga you know T wolves are you, know they're all,
Speaker 3: Right they'll PROBABLY i would assume they're going to lose
Speaker 3: to The lakers in the first. Round but the Point
Speaker 3: i'm getting at is that THE nba is so, different.
Speaker 3: Man you have to build it down to the, studs
Speaker 3: or you have to break it down to the studs
Speaker 3: to build it back up and have it be worth
Speaker 3: the Damn and it, sucks but it's the.
Speaker 1: Reality, well and as AS i keep talking, about it's
Speaker 1: one of the only businesses in the world has an
Speaker 1: incentive structure if you, suck it really does there's an
Speaker 1: incentive structure in place to the victor goes the.
Speaker 2: Spoils the teams that.
Speaker 1: Win, championships that compete at the highest levels and win
Speaker 1: games will always.
Speaker 2: Be rewarded at the highest.
Speaker 1: Level but if you're not one of those, teams and
Speaker 1: if we're, Honest, chris every year in THE, Nba i'll
Speaker 1: tell you WHO i think is gonna win. It and
Speaker 1: if you give me three or four, Guesses i'm gonna
Speaker 1: tell you who's gonna win the.
Speaker 2: Championship it's gonna win the. Championship some years it's.
Speaker 1: Easier for like six, years it was, like all, right
Speaker 1: it's Either Golden state or Whoever lebron's playing. For, yeah,
Speaker 1: Right and so if you're not one of those, teams
Speaker 1: there's an incentive structure in place to reward you for being.
Speaker 1: Bad it is beyond wild if you think about, it
Speaker 1: like there's no sales staff where the sales bro rolls
Speaker 1: in right and does the whole red zone thing where
Speaker 1: we're all pumped to sell and, says, okay the group over,
Speaker 1: here if you're our top, salesman give me one hundred
Speaker 1: thousand dollars bonus if you hit your.
Speaker 2: Numbers now the good news.
Speaker 1: Is the group over, here if you're our worst, Salesman
Speaker 1: we're still gonna give you fifty grand like the world.
Speaker 2: Does didn't work like, that but it works like that
Speaker 2: in pro.
Speaker 1: Basketball so, YES i understand why The jazz have been
Speaker 1: going about their business the way that they. HAVE i
Speaker 1: think they should have done it three years. Ago BUT
Speaker 1: i just wonder whether or not there's this feel in
Speaker 1: the community that, maybe you, know The miller's got a
Speaker 1: bad rap for the way that they ran things based
Speaker 1: off of all of this losing this fan base has
Speaker 1: had to deal, WITH i would assume.
Speaker 3: Not and, frankly if there was a quote unquote bad
Speaker 3: rap out, there it's from people who don't know the
Speaker 3: historical significance of what The millers mean to The. Jazz,
Speaker 3: like Without, larry The jazz are where They spence are
Speaker 3: they In?
Speaker 2: Minnesota?
Speaker 1: Minnesota this is the danger prior To spence, SEQUELS yep
Speaker 1: making the deal With, larry And larry deserves a lot
Speaker 1: of creditor because he completely leveraged himself multiple, times.
Speaker 3: Multiple team on the, line.
Speaker 1: Multiple, times doubled yeah multiple times to make sure that
Speaker 1: The jazz stay. Here But minnesota was primed for a franchise,
Speaker 1: situation and instead of giving them you know an expansion.
Speaker 1: Team the talk in the league office in the early
Speaker 1: to mid eighties is let's move The jazz From Salt
Speaker 1: lake To. Minnesota that, HAPPENED i think in nineteen eighty. Eight,
Speaker 1: OFFICIALLY i believe The timberwolves landed In. Minnesota but, no
Speaker 1: If larryan's In Spence ecles didn't step up to the
Speaker 1: plate and make this financing, reality The jazz are At.
Speaker 1: Minnesota there's no doubt about.
Speaker 3: That fans will always find something to be pissed. About
Speaker 3: you can get your boots stuck in the muck And
Speaker 3: meyer for as long as you. Want but the reality is,
Speaker 3: is Maybe i'll go back to my tried and true,
Speaker 3: Cliche utah sports fans are beyond spoiled on a multitude of,
Speaker 3: levels and the professional and on the collegiate. Level so
Speaker 3: if you're A jazz, FAN i guess the scariest thing
Speaker 3: imaginable is that the lottery rules have changed and now
Speaker 3: there's not like a a scale tipped in your. FAVORS
Speaker 3: i guess it's three teams that have an equal fourteen
Speaker 3: percent chance of Landing cooper. Flag, yikes if it, doesn't
Speaker 3: if the ball doesn't bounce their, way, man we're gonna
Speaker 3: have to Get Tony jones in here to tell me
Speaker 3: who they're gonna draft at number two or.
Speaker 2: Three stay tuned five o'clock. Hour there we.
Speaker 1: Go ck BEFORE i set you, loose what are the
Speaker 1: most exciting elements for?
Speaker 2: You you?
Speaker 1: Know pondering on what we're gonna see tomorrow For utah
Speaker 1: spring football forever twenty two, game baby, Coming i'll see
Speaker 1: you up?
Speaker 2: There are you?
Speaker 3: Going we'll be on the. Sidelines of, COURSE i wouldn't
Speaker 3: miss hear no pad.
Speaker 1: Out, now you were on The utah football beat for,
Speaker 1: years was there ever anything that you saw in a
Speaker 1: spring game where you're, like, yes There it.
Speaker 3: Is, never, never not? Once, RIGHT i will, SAY i
Speaker 3: don't know what the setup. Is but out of all the,
Speaker 3: years out of all Of kyle's, years going back to
Speaker 3: like this is probably like the first time in almost
Speaker 3: When kyle's been in twenty one, years maybe since like six,
Speaker 3: seven that there are, actual like really, legit tangible questions
Speaker 3: that need to be answered everywhere and at players are
Speaker 3: going to see a bunch of people that they've never
Speaker 3: seen play before and at the most crucial of. Positions
Speaker 3: SO i Think tomorrow's gonna be. Nice so put your
Speaker 3: sunscreen on and go Watch Devin Dan pierre your Your heisman.
Speaker 1: Trophy Dark horse nailed. It SO i will see you
Speaker 1: at the spring. Game Then i'll see you out at
Speaker 1: our sel.
Speaker 2: Themorn it sounds.
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