This seems like a pretty objective article about the state of Utah. I am posting it here even though it could fit in a basketball thread too. Stories like this, and the facts/viewpoints it reports, are important to U. of Utah sports, especially recruiting.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...an-dream-alive
I am really not sure which way this article cuts for recruiting. It might help reassure some athletes and their parents.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Perhaps what goes along with this but I am surprised at the many former players I meet who decided to stay here in Utah versus going back home. I wonder if there is information, kind of a "where are they now" sort of thing on past players.
It is a great place to live and I've heard coaches say the biggest challenge is just getting players here.
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Great story about some of the challenges for AA in Utah.
http://theundefeated.com/features/ho...alt-lake-city/
So, you have a state that has next to nothing blacks are used to, then add in a racist religion (or the perception of one), you can see why it wouldn't be very appealing to recruits.
BUT, like mentioned above, once you get a recruit here, they can begin to see that even though we are different, different isn't always bad. I think it will be awhile before the perception changes about Utah, but we are taking steps in the right direction. That being said, the politics/LDS Church getting involved in weird laws, how to treat people, etc doesn't help. When the only national press we get is how weird we are (Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool, the BAC laws, OR leaving the state, the Church and transgender bathrooms/LGBT stances)...that makes it a tough sell.
What Whitt has done is nothing short of a miracle.
Do teenagers really think that way? I'll agree that to a kid from back east Utah is probably known as a place of only white religious people and if they even know what a Mormon is they MIGHT know of its past with blacks, but knowing much about Mormons is a huge IF.Originally Posted by Utah
I doubt they know or care about the outdoor retailers or know about transgender bathroom issues (I actually don't know where Utah stood on this and AA communities tend to trend behind the rest of the US on these issues anyway).
I know lots of teenagers and very few are deep into the issues. I think it is a lot more simple than that, an AA basketball star likely just believes that Utah is no fun and there is nobody like them here. Kind of like how I feel about North Dakota.
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What would you think if your kid was being recruited to a school in Amish Country? Sadly, that is how a lot of people view Utah. When we moved to Philly, that was they would always ask us...what it was like moving to a real city.
The olympics have done a lot to change that view, buuuut, those stories don't help. And, no, kids don't care about that stuff...until Todd Graham is sitting in your living room telling you and your mom and/or dad all those stories and how weird Utah is.
Todd Graham: "So you've heard about the transgender bathroom thing in Utah?"
(240 lb football star clutches pearls)
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