Since the start of the regular season, Jazz fans have returned to the Delta Center since the Salt Lake City venue has regained the name of its best seasons in the 1990s. But for how much longer will it be installed in the capital of Utah?
The question currently arises because the majority shareholder of the franchise, the Smith Entertainment Group, is considering the construction of a new room, we learn from the Salt Lake Tribune.
The objective would be to leave the capital and reach the south of Salt Lake County, near the site of a former prison, to build a new hall which could accommodate the Jazz in the NBA and a future NHL team.
If the Salt Lake City authorities obviously want to do everything possible to keep the Jazz in town, a move for the franchise is not immediately planned since the hall has not been built. Furthermore, the Jazz is linked to the city until 2040 since managers have renewed their lease at the Delta Center.
More money and more room for hockey
So why imagine leaving? To earn more money already. Forbes estimates Jazz revenues for the 2022/23 season at $275 million. We are far from large markets like Los Angeles (with the Lakers), Miami, New York and Chicago which earned an average of $437 million during the same period.
As is often the case in recent years, the number 1 solution to earn more money is to build a new room at the heart of a complex integrating shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and offices which generate a lot of money.
Then because Ryan Smith, the owner of the franchise, wants an NHL team and the Delta Center, in hockey configuration, can only accommodate 13 to 14,000 people. This is much less than the other venues in the league which almost all exceed 17,000 seats.
