Is the 2030 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Bid On Hold For an MLB Or NHL Franchise.
The International Olympic Committee got some good news recently as people in Sweden seem to be open to hosting the 2030 Winter Olympics. Generally, seven years out, the IOC has its host for either the winter or summer event. Right now, only Salt Lake City has an active bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics. And locals in Utah along with the United States committee really don’t want the event because it is too close to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics and some American marketing partners might not want to invest in a possible 2030 Salt Lake City event. The local Utah committee wants to bid for a 2034 Winter Olympics. But there could be other reasons to push back. Salt Lake City investors are looking to land a Major League Baseball expansion team. Then there was another item.
According to a Canadian hockey reporter, Elliotte Friedman, the owner of the National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith, met with National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman after an NBA board of governors meeting in March. Smith apparently is interested in owning an NHL franchise. On April 22nd, KSL radio sports reporter Sam Farnsworth tweeted at Smith “Stanley Cup Playoffs always delivers! PLEAAAAAASE bring this to Utah.” Smith responded with a tweet “In motion”. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. Bettman is on record saying that the NHL is not interested in expanding right now. But there is a vote taking place in Tempe that could determine the future of the Arizona franchise on May 16th. Could Smith go after the Arizona franchise if the Tempe arena-village vote fails? Does money talk and does Smith start throwing cash at NHL owners and will that change Bettman’s statement? Meanwhile the IOC might have to take a step back because the NHL and MLB are more important.
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