Why does the state of Utah seem to have such bad luck with sports?

[SLC Projects]

Something has been itching the back of my head for some time concerning local sports. I wasn't really sure where to put this post since this goes way beyond the NBA or college sports, so I'm just starting up this thread to maybe hear some thoughts on this as well that I'm about to share....

So my question is to all sport fans or even those of you who have followed Utah sports....why does the state of Utah seem to have such bad luck towards sports?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWPp...3&feature=plcp
Video by Wallyshow07. ( Not me )

Looking back at our somewhat long history of sports rather it's pro or college sports it seems like ( for whatever reason ) we tend to despite of having a good run we seem to always come out just short. Or in other words......2nd place?

I'll go ahead and throw out some examples......

Finals
Utah Stars 1974
Utah Jazz 1997
Utah Jazz 1998
Utah Utes ( NCAA basketball ) 1998
Utah Flash ( D-League ) 2009
Utah Utes ( NCAA football ) 2009
Real Salt Lake ( CCL ) 2011
Real Salt Lake ( US Open Cup Finals ) 2013
Real Salt Lake ( MLS Cup Finals ) 2013

Those are a few just the top of my head, but what do all these teams and years all have in common? They ALL came in 2nd.

The list that I could come up with for those years that our local sports have come up just shy of reaching the finals would be even longer.

Utah Jazz 2007 ( The one year we had Fisher. ) Just to name one of the very long list.

Now let's review our very few teams that won championships in the history of our state. ( Note: This will be a very short list. )

Utah Utes ( NCAA basketball ) 1944
Utah Stars 1971
BYU ( NCAA football ) 1984
Real Salt Lake 2009

ummm.....that's it.

Something interesting I notice. In College between 1944 and 1984 is 40 years. In Pro between 1971 and 2009 is 38 years. ( Both around the same time...so around 38-40 years....say 39 years between championships.

So looking at these numbers at this pace we are due for another College championship in 2024 and Pro in 2047. So for alot of us that would be a once in a lifetime or twice in a life time depending on what sports your into.

So what is our deal? Why are we like 1-10 in winning these championship games? Why is it that when ever we have such high expectations in a team there's always SOMETHING that goes wrong? Is it just bad luck?....or unfair game/s? In other words that Utah is treated as a small market and hence small market teams do not make the big shots as much money as say LA? Or there's just something for whatever reason Utah is just not meant to win many if any championships?

I know this might sound crazy, but for those who have been around as long as I have and have followed sports as long as I have it just seems that we just do well. It's just been on my mind for a long time and it seems like that other small markets or cities our size do better at it. Take OKC for examples. A midsize city that up til 6 years ago has even had a pro team of any, but just take a look at the thunders ( Their NBA team ) and their Sooners College Team. Hell.....I sometimes think even Boise ( not hating on them ) has more success in sports then us here in Utah. ( Joking of course. )

I don't know. Maybe I'm just going crazy with all of this. And I would of said these things a few years back I would think I'm crazy, but as the years go by and we see more and more of these short comings then something is up. Not saying we can win as many as say LA, but once every 40 years?....Really?...We can do better. Even as a small market city. Just a simple question that's been on my mind. Thoughts?

[bunt_q]

You guys are something like the 34th largest metro area in the U.S. How many high profile championships are there total in any given year? 10, maybe? And then you figure that you guys, being a small market, probably only compete in half of those. Statistically speaking, if the wealth gets spread around evenly (and it doesn't), once in a lifetime is about right for a city/state your size.

Somebody should calculate a metric - championships per capita per lifetime - for every state. I bet you guys are okay there.

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Hell.....I think even Boise ( not hating on them ) has more success in sports then us here in Utah.

Was this a joke? You listed an NCAA basketball championship, an NCAA football national title, and an MLS title for Utah. Would you really trade those for two Fiesta Bowls? Really?

[scottharding]

Projects, I feel your pain on the lack of championships in the state even though our teams have come so close (especially with the Jazz) but, first, i think Bunt q is right. There really aren't a lot of championships to go around. If there were, they wouldn't be very special.

We haven't had it too bad. The Jazz have the third highest win percentage in the NBA for the last twenty years. We went to the finals twice. Jazz fans have never had to endure the seemingly endless rebuilding years that the likes of Charlotte, or Philadelphia, Washington or Sacramento fans have been through. Or look at Denver. They've had a good team for quite a while, but have never been to the finals.

You mention the Thunder. Like the Thunder, Real Salt Lake reached a championship only a few years into their history. And though the Utes were denied a chance to prove they were the best football team in the country (twice) the whole country knows that they were, and it was pretty great to be a Ute fan (and student) when the Utes were busting the whole BSC bullshit open. They changed the whole system.

Salt Lake is actually a great sports town. Despite our small market, the teams compete and the fans come out. Will we ever get our elusive NBA championship? I sure as hell hope so. But we'll always be the underdogs. But it's not so bad.

It could be worse. We could be Cleveland, and have a team in all four of the major leagues and have no titles in any sport to show for it in like 60 years of history. And then there's Lebron...

[bunt_q]

I don't really consider the NBA a sport anyways. More like a Vegas show masquerading as sport. Now... when you've been swept in a World Series, then we can talk about the shame of being second place. But here you go - imagine living in Buffalo. Or Minnesota.

[ajiuO]

I went on that utah ghost tours thing around Halloween. They claim that the ESA is built on what use to be a native american cemetery and that is why the Jazz are cursed... Just saying

[Deek1978]

The Jazz are cursed ^^^

Man, just imagine with Triad Centers 1 & 2 had been built there instead. Wondering now if they would have burned down, fallen over, and then sunk into the swamp. . . hmmmmm.

[BoiseAirport]

Imagine being Buffalo and having to endure this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXVI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXVII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXVIII

Plus playoff appearances and division championships in 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995 - all coming up short. Today not only do they have 0 Super Bowl wins to show for their previous success, it seems to be an inevitability that the team eventually moves out of Buffalo. Ouch.

Salt Lake City may not have it as great as Pittsburgh or Boston, but it certainly could be worse. If you were to create a metric of city-size to overall team success/number of sporting teams/fan interest in those franchises and other metrics, I'd bet Salt Lake City would be ahead of Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, and others.

[bunt_q]

Maybe not Phoenix. A World Series is worth three college titles, and worth 10 MLS championships.

Atlanta probably still loses even with that one World Series just because they're so much bigger and been big sports city for so long.

[Future Mayor]

Don't forget about Cleveland, and remember they have three teams. It's been 46 years since that city had any major championship. 1964 NFL Title (pre-Superbowl)

I found a list here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_%28sport%29

I agree with bunt_q on this as well, based on size we've got it pretty good.

I'm just glad we at least compete most years. Yeah the Jazz haven't won the title, yet, but I would take 8 of 10 years in the playoffs, rather than a title and 6 years out of the playoffs, type of scenario. That's just me.

[Stenar]

Originally Posted by ajiuO

I went on that utah ghost tours thing around Halloween. They claim that the ESA is built on what use to be a native american cemetery and that is why the Jazz are cursed... Just saying

They must be really sorely cursed since the Jazz (used to) almost never lose at home. I haven't continued watching in recent years, but they used to dominate at home.

[Stenar]

You forgot the University of Utah's 10 NCAA national gymnastics championships and 11 NCAA national skiing championships.

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Something has been itching the back of my head for some time concerning local sports. I wasn't really sure where to put this post since this goes way beyond the NBA or college sports, so I'm just starting up this thread to maybe hear some thoughts on this as well that I'm about to share....

So my question is to all sport fans or even those of you who have followed Utah sports....why does the state of Utah seem to have such bad luck towards sports?

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Stenar

You forgot the University of Utah's 10 NCAA national gymnastics championships and 11 NCAA national skiing championships.

I know about the Red Rocks, but to bring up woman's gymnastics is like bringing up minor sports like the Ogdan Raptors or the Wasatch Roller Derby.
But to the National level we all know Basketball and football are the two most watched college sports.

We have won a few minor league championships such as the Utah Trappers ( now Ogdan Rapers ) who have won four Pioneer League titles.....1991, 1987, 1986, 1985.
Too bad they are not part of the AAA league or even the MLB otherwise those titles could of been alot more of a big deal.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

You guys are something like the 34th largest metro area in the U.S. How many high profile championships are there total in any given year? 10, maybe?

1.NBA
2.MLB
3.NFL
4.NHL
5.MLS?
6.College NCAA football
7.College NCAA basketball

What others were you thinking of?

Also, the Boise remark was more of a joke since they have no pro teams.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Was this a joke? You listed an NCAA basketball championship, an NCAA football national title, and an MLS title for Utah. Would you really trade those for two Fiesta Bowls? Really?

You know, if it makes you Utah guys feel any better, you have twice as many DI national championships than Colorado does in real sports.

But, if we throw in hockey that would change.

[Surrealplaces]

I was going to mention Cleveland. If there was ever a hard luck city when it came to sports Cleveland is right there.

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Don't forget about Cleveland, and remember they have three teams. It's been 46 years since that city had any major championship. 1964 NFL Title (pre-Superbowl)

I found a list here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_%28sport%29

I agree with bunt_q on this as well, based on size we've got it pretty good.

I'm just glad we at least compete most years. Yeah the Jazz haven't won the title, yet, but I would take 8 of 10 years in the playoffs, rather than a title and 6 years out of the playoffs, type of scenario. That's just me.

[Evo5Boise]

I wouldn't consider Utah beating Alabama a fail at all. I'd chalk that up as awesome in the win column. And look at the bright side, at least you have the Jazz. There are lots of markets the same size as SLC, or bigger, that don't even have a professional team.

And your shot at Boise not having a pro team is fine cause it's true. But if makes you feel any better the sports teams we do possess have been very successful on all levels and across all platforms. So...there! LOL

[SLC Projects]

A lot of good points made. Feel a little better now. Thanks.

[goldcntry]

It could deffinately be worse Projects... As a former Sacramentan, (and waning Kings devotee) Utah could be a lot worse off!

[Atlas]

The Runnin' Utes didn't have bad luck tonight. I hope they play like that all season.

[bob rulz]

Considering how small Salt Lake City's market is I would say we've had remarkable success. The Jazz teams were definitely unlucky in the sense that they happened to run into two consecutive, essentially unstoppable Michael Jordan-led Bulls teams, but the Jazz were more competitive against them than any other team.

At least we're not Cleveland or San Diego.