SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City has taken a Bob Beamon-esque leap in the latest rankings of best sports cities in the U.S., showing how Utah's capital city has become a major player on the sporting stage.
In its rankings tracking over 2,300 markets, the Sports Business Journal ranked Salt Lake City 12th in the country, a massive jump from 44th, where the city stood in the previous rankings released in 2023.
Salt Lake City topped cities usually associated with a large sports presence, such as Philadelphia (14), Denver (16), and Boston (17).
The rise from 44th to 12th overall was the largest among any city in the rankings.
Among the noted achievements that caused Salt Lake City's rise, the publication highlighted the ongoing multi-million dollar "transformation" of Delta Center, as well as the $3.5 billion Power District development project that aims to bring Major League Baseball to the city.
Sports Business Journal also acknowledged how, in less than three years, Salt Lake City has welcomed the Utah Mammoth to town, along with franchises in both women's professional volleyball and softball leagues.
Of course, another major factor in Salt Lake City's rise, according to the SBJ, is that it will, once again, host the Winter Olympics in 2034.
