As the spotlight turns toward Salt Lake City and Utah during this weekend's NBA All-Star Game, business and political leaders are seeking to chip away at long-held notions -- in basketball circles and elsewhere -- of the state as a peculiar, boring and homogenous place that lags behind on LGBTQ2S+- and race-related issues.
Their push to showcase the city and state as increasingly diverse and vibrant has been complicated by Utah's enduring legacy as a religious conservative stronghold, coupled with recent political developments at the intersection of race, gender and sports.
Downtown, a pop-up liquor store has been erected to serve fans this weekend between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' flagship temple and the Jazz's home arena. Team owner Ryan Smith is telling anyone who will listen about the state's robust tech sector and progressive thinking. And the NBA is heavily advertising a pregame performance featuring Post Malone, a Utah-based, heavily face-tattooed rap star popular among residents.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the counterculture that rose up in response and continues to thrive both contribute to the city's social fabric.
Hosting All-Star Weekend is a major opportunity in particular for Smith, who purchased the Jazz in 2020 after selling the survey-software provider company that he founded, Qualtrics, for US$8 billion.
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