Editing Utah (section)

==Culture==
===Sports===
{{see also|List of professional sports teams in Utah}}
[[File:2002 Winter Olympics flame.jpg|thumb|The Olympic cauldron is lit by the '[[Miracle on Ice]]' 1980 U.S. men's ice hockey team at the [[2002 Winter Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] of the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in [[Salt Lake City]]]]

[[File:Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz.jpg|thumb|The [[Utah Jazz]] playing against the Houston Rockets]]
[[File:Robbie Russell Real Salt Lake.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Robbie Russell (soccer)|Robbie Russell]] playing for [[Real Salt Lake]]]]

Utah is the second-least populous U.S. state to have a [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports league]] franchise after the [[Vegas Golden Knights]] joined the [[National Hockey League]] in 2017. The [[Utah Jazz]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] play at the [[Delta Center]] in [[Salt Lake City]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1= Speckman |first1= Stephen |last2= Smeath |first2= Doug |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650209221/Whats-in-a-name-Bit-of-a-hassle.html |title= What's in a name? Bit of a hassle |newspaper= [[Deseret Morning News]] |date= November 22, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141104174652/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650209221/Whats-in-a-name-Bit-of-a-hassle.html |archive-date= November 4, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The team moved to the city from New Orleans in 1979 and has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the league (although they have yet to win a championship). The [[Salt Lake City Stars]] are the [[NBA G League|G League]] affiliate of the Jazz. The team moved from Idaho to Utah in 2016. Salt Lake City was previously host to the [[Utah Stars]], who competed in the [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] from 1970 to 1976 and won one championship, and to the [[Utah Starzz]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] from 1997 to 2003.

In 2024, the [[Utah Mammoth]] was established, beginning play during the [[2024-25 NHL season|2024–25 National Hockey League]] season. The team was established using the existing roster, staff and draft picks of the [[Arizona Coyotes]], which were purchased by businessman and [[Utah Jazz|Jazz]] owner [[Ryan Smith (businessman)|Ryan Smith]]. The Utah Mammoth plays their home games at the Delta Center, sharing the facility with the Jazz.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5818599/2024/10/08/utah-hockey-club-scramble-inaugural-season/ | title=Inside Utah Hockey Club's unprecedented five-month scramble to NHL opening night | work=The New York Times | last1=Lazerus | first1=Mark | date=December 23, 2024 }}</ref> Utah also has one minor league [[ice hockey|hockey]] team, the [[Utah Grizzlies]], who play at the Maverik Center and compete in the [[ECHL]].   

[[Real Salt Lake]] of [[Major League Soccer]] was founded in 2005 and plays their home matches at [[America First Field]] in [[Sandy, Utah|Sandy]]. RSL remains the only Utah major league sports team to have won a national championship, having won the MLS Cup in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705346496/Real-Salt-Lake-wins-dramatic-MLS-Cup-on-penalty-kicks.html|title=Real Salt Lake wins dramatic MLS Cup on penalty kicks|first=James|last=Edward|date=November 23, 2009|website=[[Deseret News]]|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525095650/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705346496/Real-Salt-Lake-wins-dramatic-MLS-Cup-on-penalty-kicks.html|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> RSL currently operates two adult teams in addition to the MLS side. [[Real Monarchs]], competing in the third-tier [[MLS Next Pro]], is the official reserve side for RSL. The team began to play in the 2015 season at Rio Tinto Stadium, remaining there until moving to [[Zions Bank Stadium]], located at RSL's training center in [[Herriman, Utah|Herriman]], for the 2018 season and beyond.<ref>{{cite web|title=Real Salt Lake announce that new USL PRO team will be called Real Monarchs|url=http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/09/10/real-salt-lake-announce-new-usl-pro-team-will-be-called-real-monarchs|publisher=MLSsoccer.com|access-date=September 11, 2014|date=September 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911051123/http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/09/10/real-salt-lake-announce-new-usl-pro-team-will-be-called-real-monarchs|archive-date=September 11, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Zions Bank Real Academy new home for Real Salt Lake development pyramid|url=https://www.rsl.com/post/2017/05/24/zions-bank-real-academy-new-home-real-salt-lake-development-pyramid|publisher=Real Monarchs|access-date=November 17, 2017|date=May 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117175017/https://www.rsl.com/post/2017/05/24/zions-bank-real-academy-new-home-real-salt-lake-development-pyramid|archive-date=November 17, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Utah Royals]] returned to the [[National Women's Soccer League]] (NWSL), the top level of U.S. women's soccer, in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Linehan |first=Meg |title=Utah Royals return to NWSL for 'new era' with different investors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4298180/2023/03/11/nwsl-utah-royals-new-era/ |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=The New York Times |date=March 11, 2023 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The original team of that name, which shared ownership with RSL and also played at America First Field, started NWSL play in 2018.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.rsl.com/post/2017/12/01/utah-royals-fc-unveils-name-identity-2018-nwsl-season |title=Utah Royals FC unveils name, identity for 2018 NWSL season |publisher=Real Salt Lake |date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=December 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202203207/https://www.rsl.com/post/2017/12/01/utah-royals-fc-unveils-name-identity-2018-nwsl-season |archive-date=December 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to fallout from controversies surrounding RSL's ownership, leading to the club's eventual sale, RSL shuttered the Royals after the 2020 season, selling its player-related assets to a [[Kansas City Current|new Kansas City franchise]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kansas City Returns to the NWSL as Expansion Team in 2021 |url=https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/article/kansas-city-returns-to-the-nwsl-as-expansion-team-in-2021 |access-date=7 December 2020 |publisher=NWSL |date=December 7, 2020 |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122154711/https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/article/kansas-city-returns-to-the-nwsl-as-expansion-team-in-2021 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Before the creation of the Royals, RSL's main women's side had been [[Real Salt Lake Women]], which began play in the [[Women's Premier Soccer League]] in 2008 and moved to [[United Women's Soccer]] in 2016, before folding in 2019.

Utah's highest level [[Minor League Baseball]] team is the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Salt Lake Bees]], as a part of the [[Pacific Coast League]]. The team previously played at [[Smith's Ballpark]] in Salt Lake City, but is set to move to [[The Ballpark at America First Square|Daybreak Field at America First Square]] in 2025. 

Utah has seven universities that compete in [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]. Three of the schools have [[college football|football]] programs that participate in the top-level [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Football Bowl Subdivision]]: [[BYU Cougars|BYU]] and [[Utah Utes|Utah]] in the [[Big 12 Conference]] (with Utah moving from the [[Pac-12 Conference]] in 2024), and [[Utah State Aggies|Utah State]] in the [[Mountain West Conference]]. In addition, [[Weber State Wildcats|Weber State]] and [[Southern Utah Thunderbirds|Southern Utah (SUU)]] compete in the [[Big Sky Conference]] of the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]]. [[Utah Tech Trailblazers|Utah Tech]], with an FCS football program, and [[Utah Valley Wolverines|Utah Valley]], with no football program, are members of the [[Western Athletic Conference]] (WAC). Utah Tech football plays in the [[United Athletic Conference]], a football-only partnership between the WAC and the [[Atlantic Sun Conference]] (ASUN). Most of these schools house select teams outside of their primary conferences; for example, BYU men's volleyball plays in the [[Mountain Pacific Sports Federation]] and Utah plays men's lacrosse in the ASUN.

Salt Lake City hosted the [[2002 Winter Olympics]]. After early financial struggles and scandals, the 2002 Olympics eventually became among the most successful Winter Olympics in history from a marketing and financial standpoint. Watched by more than two billion viewers, the Games ended up with a profit of $100&nbsp;million.<ref name="ksl-20120208">{{cite news |url=https://www.ksl.com/?sid=19155597|title=Economic impact of 2002 Olympics still felt|first=Jasen<!--yes, this is spelled correctly-->|last=Lee|date=February 8, 2012|publisher=[[KSL-TV]]|access-date=May 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525083039/https://www.ksl.com/?sid=19155597|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Utah has hosted professional golf tournaments such as the [[Uniting Fore Care Classic]], and currently hosts the [[Utah Championship]].

[[Rugby union in the United States|Rugby]] has been growing quickly in the state of Utah, growing from 17 teams in 2009 to 70 {{as of|2013|lc=y}} with more than 3,000 players, and more than 55 high school varsity teams.<ref name="thisisamericanrugby.com">[http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2014/10/utah-youth-enjoying-7s-season.html "Utah Youth Enjoying 7s Season, Continuing To Grow"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014121849/http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2014/10/utah-youth-enjoying-7s-season.html |date=October 14, 2014 }}, This Is American Rugby, October 8, 2014.</ref><ref name="ksl">{{Cite news |work=KSL | title = 'Forever Strong' inspired change, growth for Utah rugby teams | date = March 8, 2013 | url = http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24325996&nid=148&title=forever-strong-inspired-change-growth-for-utah-rugby-teams&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-8 | access-date = March 12, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130510171103/http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24325996&nid=148&title=forever-strong-inspired-change-growth-for-utah-rugby-teams&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-8 | archive-date = May 10, 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> The growth has been inspired in part by the 2008 movie ''[[Forever Strong]]''.<ref name="ksl" /> Utah fields two of the most competitive teams in the nation in [[college rugby]]—BYU and Utah.<ref name="thisisamericanrugby.com"/> BYU has won the National Championship in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Formed in 2017, the [[Utah Warriors]] are a [[Major League Rugby]] team based in Salt Lake City.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.warriorsrugby.com/ |website=Utah Warriors Rugby |access-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202020314/https://www.warriorsrugby.com/ |archive-date=February 2, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Entertainment===
{{See also|List of appearances of Monument Valley in the media|Category:Films shot in Utah}}

Utah is the setting of or the filming location for many books, films,<ref name = "IMDb Utah">{{Cite web | publisher = Internet Movie Database ([[IMDb]]) | url = https://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Utah&ref_=ttloc_loc_1 | title = Filming Locations | access-date = July 21, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170525081852/http://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Utah&ref_=ttloc_loc_1 | archive-date = May 25, 2017 | url-status = live }}</ref> television series,<ref name="IMDb Utah"/> music videos, and video games. Southern Utah is the site of many westerns, including [[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]] and [[Gunsmoke]], along with modern movies like [[Thelma & Louise|Thelma and Louise]] and [[Forrest Gump]]. The [[Bonneville Salt Flats]] are also a popular location, seen in films such as [[Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day]] and [[Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End]]. Utah's capital [[Salt Lake City]] is the final location in the video game ''[[The Last of Us]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Real World Architecture and Locations in The Last of Us |date=July 30, 2013 |url=http://www.realityisagame.com/archives/2070/real-world-architecture-and-locations-in-the-last-of-us/ |publisher=Reality is a Game |access-date=September 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127021718/http://www.realityisagame.com/archives/2070/real-world-architecture-and-locations-in-the-last-of-us/ |archive-date=November 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Sundance Film Festival]] was founded in 1978, and takes place every January in [[Park City, Utah|Park City]]. It is considered one of the "big five" [[film festival]]s, and is the largest independent film festival in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Nick |date=2024-02-02 |title=Reely Big: The Largest Film Festivals in the World |url=https://www.discoveryuk.com/building-big/reely-big-the-largest-film-festivals-in-the-world/ |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Discovery UK |language=en-US}}</ref>

<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
File:Monumentvalley.jpg|[[Monument Valley]] in southeastern Utah. This area was used to film many Hollywood [[Westerns]].
File:Saltph26.jpg|The otherworldly look of the [[Bonneville Salt Flats]] has been used in many movies and commercials.
</gallery>