We're not sure whether the sudden spate of Utah franchises in fringe major-league sports leagues is a sign that the Wasatch Front has passed through some portal into the fellowship of top-drawer metropolitan areas.
We don't know if people here should gush like Sally Field at the Oscars that people like us, they really like us, or if they should just treat these new teams like long-running shows passing through town. Frankly, while it's an honor to have these new franchises, sports fans may not want to mortgage the house betting that either one will be around 10 years from now.
No one, it may reasonably be said, is likely to relocate a business here because of a Major League Soccer team or because of the newest acquisition, announced this week, of a franchise in the Arena Football League. And yet, the fact that such leagues are viewing Salt Lake City favorably is certainly a sign of the area's economic viability.
It may even somehow dovetail with the report issued this week by the Center for Women's Business Research, which found the Salt Lake City-Ogden metro area is the top place in the land for female entrepreneurs. Lots of reports have cited the area as good for businesses led by both men and women, and the area's quality of life must have something to do with that.
Soccer, arena football, the Utah Jazz, top-quality public and private universities, a world-class symphony, ballet and opera and the headquarters of a major religion all combine to present the rest of the world with a metro area that is both vibrant and inviting. In that sense, the new teams add to the total package — and they certainly will appeal to certain specific demographics.
The Arena Football League came into its own recently with a major television contract. It has spawned a few NFL stars, and it is the only league we know of with a "Fan's Bill of Rights," available for viewing on the league's Web site, www.arenafootball.com. Among these rights is for a family friendly atmosphere in which players are accessible to fans.
These are all positive things, but they must be tempered by the fact that the league's Detroit Fury announced Monday it was ceasing operations after being unable to located a buyer or partner to keep the team afloat. Teams in North Carolina and Indiana also folded this summer.
No doubt, the products these leagues offer are exciting, and local sports fans will have a great time watching superb athletes do wonderful things. But what should people make of it all?
Perhaps, rather than passing through a portal, the metro area is collecting stepping stones on the way toward acquiring another franchise in a truly major-league sport.