Ryan Smith sells a minority share of the Utah Jazz in hopes of bringing another pro franchise to Utah

According to Eric Walden, Utah Jazz owner, Ryan Smith, has sold a minority share of Smith Entertainment Group to Acrtos Sports Partners in hopes of bringing another professional franchise to Utah.

According to Walden, Arctos has ownership stakes in multiple sports franchises, and they are bullish on the Salt Lake market to support another professional franchise. Make sure and read the article because Walden does a great job breaking down all the possibilities, but long story short, it’s going to be difficult to bring a professional franchise to Utah of the three other professional leagues (NHL, MLB, NFL). Probably the most likely would be baseball if there was an expansion but even then, it sounds difficult.

Personally, I think a baseball team in Utah would be fantastic. The Bees are a great franchise with arguably the best black and yellow branding in the state. Plus, the baseball season would compliment the Jazz season in a perfect way. The offseasons match up perfectly so that when the Jazz are in the offseason, baseball is going strong.

Walden mentioned the Oakland Atheltics, which is a rumor that has been making the rounds in Utah for a while. Could Arctos and Smith Entertainment group sway the MLB to bring the franchise to Utah, or beat out other cities vying for a team? Salt Lake, and Utah in general, is officially the fastest growing state in the country according to the latest census. It makes sense that another professional sports league would be interested in entering such a vibrant market.

What do you think, Jazz fans? What league would you prefer to have in Utah?