Beyond the game: Utah the Salt Lake City is all-in to change perceptions during NBA All-Star weekend

While Salt Lake City has changed, it is still known for being a religious conservative stronghold, which has made it challenging to change the perceptions people have of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah is the centre of attention this weekend as the city hosts the NBA All-Star Game. However, the event is not just about the game, but it also gives the state the opportunity to address and change the long-held perceptions of the city and state as a peculiar, boring, and homogenous place.

Salt Lake City, Utah is the centre of attention this weekend as the city hosts the NBA All-Star Game

The first perception that comes to mind for many when they think of Utah is religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a dominant force in the state and has had a significant impact on Utah’s culture, politics, and economy. The religion is even responsible for Salt Lake City being called “Zion” and for the state’s license plates to say “Greatest Snow on Earth,” as the church’s founder Brigham Young saw Utah as a place of refuge for the faithful.

However, the state has undergone significant changes in recent decades. The population has almost doubled since 1993, the last time the All-Star Game was held in Salt Lake City, and has diversified, transforming the state into a thriving metropolis with politics and problems similar to many midsize cities, including pollution, housing shortages, and homelessness.

Salt Lake City has also become more liberal and religiously diverse than the rest of the state. A majority of members on the current left-leaning city council identify as LGBTQ and are people of color. The city has a skyline filled with apartments, office buildings, and two downtown malls, and it has a light rail system that was built after the 2002 Olympics brought an influx of funding.

While Salt Lake City has changed, it is still known for being a religious conservative stronghold, which has made it challenging to change the perceptions people have of Utah. In the past, people have made comments such as “you go live in Utah” and said that the state is a “nightlife-free city that could lull you to sleep. ” Recently, former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell spoke about the challenges of being a Black man in a predominantly white, deeply religious state, saying that it was “draining.”

Despite these challenges, business and political leaders in Utah are pushing to showcase the state as increasingly diverse and vibrant. Political leaders see efforts to make businesses and tourists feel welcome as key to Utah's continued growth and ability to attract profitable trade shows and the Winter Olympics, which it is expected to bid to host again in 2034.

In preparation for the All-Star Game, the city has erected a pop-up liquor store downtown, between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ flagship temple and the Jazz's home arena. Team owner Ryan Smith has been touting the state’s robust tech sector and progressive thinking, and the NBA is heavily advertising a pregame performance featuring Post Malone, a Utah-based, heavily face-tattooed rap star popular among residents.

Hosting the All-Star Weekend is a significant opportunity for Smith, who purchased the Jazz in 2020 after selling the survey-software provider company that he founded, Qualtrics, for $8 billion. Since attending part of the 1993 All-Star Weekend as a member of the Jazz’s youth basketball program, the NBA has cultivated a reputation for embracing progressive politics and social justice to a greater extent than most other professional sports leagues.

However, Utah still has work to do in addressing social justice issues, particularly those related to race, gender, and sports. Last year, the state implemented a statewide ban on transgender kids playing girls' sports, which raised worries that organisers of some events, like the All-Star Game, would think twice about coming to Utah.