List of professional sports teams in Utah

Professional sports teams based in Utah encompass multiple teams including the NBA's Utah Jazz and Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, and a yet to be named NHL team.

Current teams

Historical teams

American Football

Baseball

Men’s Basketball

Utah Valor (2018-Present) The Basketball Tournament(TBT)

Women’s Basketball

Ice Hockey

Indoor American Football

Indoor Soccer

In-line Hockey

Rugby

Men’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer

Ultimate

Volleyball

The use of the letter "Z"

The professional sports team nicknames are often noted for the unusual frequency of the letter Z appearing in team nicknames (such as the Utah Jazz). This phenomenon reached the peak of its popularity during the 1990s; however, several Utah teams continue to make use of the letter Z. At least ten Utah-based professional sports franchises have used team names that include the letter Z, some of which are intentionally spelled incorrectly, using the Z unnecessarily or as a replacement for another letter. Commenting on the proliferation of such team names, New York Times sportswriter Alan Schwarz called Utah "the state where sports fans go to get their Z's."^[1] Local television stations KJZZ-TV (which was owned by Larry H. Miller from 1993 until his estate sold the station in 2016) and KPNZ also played off the Jazz's name to end their calls with Z's.

Early Utah -zz teams

The popularity of the Z in Utah sports was likely inspired in part by the unusual nickname of the Utah Jazz NBA team, which in 1979 relocated from New Orleans —which is noted for jazz music— to Salt Lake City, which is not. Up until the early 1990s, Utah's other professional teams used somewhat conventional nicknames (such as the Stars, Golden Eagles, and Trappers).

With the arrival of the

The announcement of the Utah Starzz WNBA franchise in 1996 cemented the state's propensity for using the letter Z in its team names. ^[4] The peculiar "Starzz" nickname was an homage to the Jazz (as well as to the old Utah Stars ABA team).^[5] The precedent firmly set, several -zz teams entered the Utah market in subsequent years, to include the Utah Catzz, Utah Freezz, and Utah Blitzz.

From 1994 to 1999, at least seven professional sports teams in the state adopted nicknames containing a double Z (see table below). All of these team names ended in -zz, except the Utah Grizzlies (which are also commonly called "the Grizz").^[6] With the exception of the Jazz and Grizzlies, none of the -zz teams remain in Utah today, each having relocated, folded, or renamed the franchise.

The

• The Ogden Raptors previously played as Salt Lake City Trappers from 1985 to 1992.
• The Orem Owlz previously played as
  Anaheim Angels franchise. The Owlz' last season playing in Orem was 2019; the team had planned to play in 2020, but the 2020 season of all leagues in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) was not played due to COVID-19. After the contraction of MiLB in 2021, the Owlz were purchased by a Colorado-based group; the team was on hiatus for the 2021 season before resuming in 2022 as the Windsor-based Northern Colorado Owlz
  .
• The Salt Lake Buzz, Stingers, and Bees are various names for the same Pacific Coast League team.
• After the 2020 NWSL season, Utah Royals FC folded amid a controversy surrounding the principal owner of its parent club, Real Salt Lake, that led to that team's sale. The Royals' player-related assets were assumed by a new ownership group in Kansas City. Following the closure of Real Salt Lake's sale in 2022, the new owners exercised an option to revive the Royals, which will start play in 2024 as a continuation of the original franchise.

See also

• List of developmental and minor sports leagues
• Professional sports leagues in the United States
• Sports in the United States

References