SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Big League Utah, the coalition of Utah leaders in business, politics and the community, is following the Utah Winter Olympic committee’s lead to showcase Salt Lake City’s readiness for Major League Baseball.

The coalition announced on Wednesday, Dec. 20, the creation of two advisory boards and the intent to form a community foundation in an effort to show MLB owners Salt Lake’s united front in bringing expansion to the Beehive State.

Salt Lake City is ‘center of attention’ for MLB expansion

The first board, led by Larry H. Miller Company owner Gail Miller, includes several local elected leaders including Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President J. Stuart Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and more. The second board consists of local business leaders and community leaders. The idea is to show MLB Utah is united on all fronts and ready for another professional team.

“We have an exceptional ownership group, a shovel-ready ballpark site, overwhelming community support in a strong growth market for MLB,” said Larry H. Miller Company CEO Steve Starks. “Like securing the return of the Winter Olympic Games, these big-vision projects don’t happen without close collaboration and teamwork – hallmarks of our community.”

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The shovel-ready ballpark site is a 100-acre lot on Salt Lake City’s west side. To support the location, Big League Utah announced its intent to create a team foundation that would help benefit the west side community. Gail Miller said the mission of Big League Utah is to create a lasting impact and enrich the lives of those living in the community.

“Larry and I graduated from West High School and I have a deep affection for our friends and neighbors in this community,” said Miller. “If we are successful in securing an expansion team, we will use this platform to support organizations and initiatives focused on the west side, its families and local businesses.”

Larry H. Miller Company Chair Steve Miller said he knows the impact sports can have on communities. The Miller family long-owned Utah’s NBA team, the Utah Jazz, until it was sold to Ryan Smith in 2020.

“We are particularly excited about the impact a Major League Baseball team could have on Salt Lake City’s west side,” said Steve Miller. “The Power District is perfectly located as a connector between people, businesses and sports in our capital city. The potential and responsibility to be a catalyst in this community belongs to all of us.”

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Details on the MLB expansion are still unclear, however.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred long expressed his interest in expanding the league from 30 teams to 32 but noted that expansion wasn’t possible until the Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays worked out their stadium issues. Since those comments, the A’s moved to Las Vegas and Tampa Bay put the finishing touches on plans for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg.

The Associated Press reported, however, that even if MLB moved quickly to expand the league, a new team likely wouldn’t start playing ball until 2028.

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