The plaza outside the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Photo: Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
The Utah Jazz play in the NBA's second-least-visitor-friendly hometown, according to a recent report that ranks the league's 29 cities for fun, affordability of games and ease of travel.
Why it matters: Salt Lake is campaigning for MLB and NHL expansion teams, so now's not a good time to look like a dud.
Driving the news: The Delta Center ranked 28 of 29 NBA home courts measured by the website Oddspedia for the quality of visiting fans' experience.
- Only San Antonio was less hospitable, the analysis calculated.
- Denver, Cleveland and Indianapolis offered the best experience.
Details: Salt Lake ranked dead last for "entertainment," with no casinos, no online betting, none of the nation's top 50 tourism attractions, and the 9th fewest bars within a mile of the stadium.
- This is unlikely to help our reputation after Charles Barkley called SLC a "boring-a** city" and Shaq said, "I never ate so much room service in my life," during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend.
By the numbers: We ranked No. 25 of 29 for "sports culture," having no sports museums or teams competing in the MLB, NHL or NFL.
- The Delta Center ranked 22nd for "arena quality" based on its capacity, as well as user ratings on Yelp, Google and Tripadvisor.
Yes, but: Salt Lake was one of the most affordable cities to enjoy a game, with parking, a hot dog and a pint of beer totaling $33.13.
Between the lines: The analysis did not attempt to measure diversity or racial attitudes.
- With visiting players, families and media making multiple complaints of racism in Utah, it was hardly a shock when Donovan Mitchell, upon being traded from Salt Lake to Cleveland in 2022, described the bigotry here as "draining."
- In 2019, former NBA player Etan Thomas said Utah "is as bad as it gets" for racist abuse, and the Bleacher Report in 2008 labeled Jazz crowds "the most disgusting fans in the NBA."
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