List of professional sports teams in Utah

Professional sports teams based in Utah encompass multiple teams including the NBA's Utah Jazz and Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, and a yet to be named NHL team.

Current teams

Major professional teams (current)
Club	Year introduced	Sport	League	Tier
Utah Jazz	1979	Basketball	National Basketball Association	Top
Utah Hockey Club (Interim Name)	2024	Ice hockey	National Hockey League	Top
Real Salt Lake	2004	Soccer	Major League Soccer	Top
Utah Archers	2023	Field Lacrosse	Premier Lacrosse League	Top
Utah Royals FC^[a]	2017	Soccer	National Women's Soccer League	Top
Utah Warriors	2017	Rugby	Major League Rugby	Top

^ The original Royals folded after the 2020 season. The team was reestablished in 2023, inheriting the history and records of the former franchise, and will resume play in 2024.

Minor professional teams (current)
Club	Year introduced	Sport	League	Tier
Salt Lake Shred	2022	Ultimate	AUDL	Top
Salt Lake Bees	2006	Baseball	Pacific Coast League	Class AAA
Utah Grizzlies	2005	Ice hockey	ECHL	Mid-level
Salt Lake City Stars	2016	Basketball	NBA G League
Real Monarchs	2015	Soccer	MLS Next Pro	Division III
Ogden Raptors	1994	Baseball	Pioneer League	MLB Partner League

Historical teams

American Football

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Pioneers	1992	American Football	Professional Spring Football League
Utah Blitz	2010	American football	Women's Football Alliance
Utah Argonauts	2012	American football	Professional Developmental Football League
Salt Lake Stallions	2018	American football	Alliance of American Football

Baseball

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Lagoon	1901	Baseball	Inter-Mountain League
Ogden	1901	Baseball	Inter-Mountain League
Orem Owlz	2005	Baseball	Pioneer League
Park City	1901	Baseball	Inter-Mountain League
Salt Lake City	1901	Baseball	Inter-Mountain League
Salt Lake City Elders	1903	Baseball	Pacific National League
Salt Lake City Mormons	1909	Baseball	Inter-Mountain League
Salt Lake City Skyscrapers	1911	Baseball	Union Association
Ogden Canners	1912	Baseball	Union Association
Murray Infants	1914	Baseball	Union Association
Salt Lake Bees (Three previous franchises)	1915, 1946, 1958	Baseball	Utah–Idaho League / Pacific Coast League / Pioneer League
Logan Collegians	1926	Baseball	Utah–Idaho League
Ogden Gunners	1926	Baseball	Utah–Idaho League
Ogden Reds	1939	Baseball	Pioneer League
Ogden Dodgers	1966	Baseball	Pioneer League
Salt Lake City Giants	1967	Baseball	Pioneer League
Salt Lake City Angels	1971	Baseball	Pacific Coast League
Ogden Spikers	1974	Baseball	Pioneer League
Salt Lake City Gulls	1975	Baseball	Pacific Coast League
Ogden A's	1979	Baseball	Pacific Coast League
Salt Lake City Trappers	1985	Baseball	Pioneer League
Salt Lake Buzz	1994	Baseball	Pacific Coast League
St. George Pioneerzz (FKA Zion Pioneerzz)	1999	Baseball	Western Baseball League
Provo Angels	2001	Baseball	Pioneer League
Salt Lake Stingers	2002	Baseball	Pacific Coast League
St. George RoadRunners	2007	Baseball	Golden Baseball League

Men’s Basketball

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Stars	1970	Basketball	American Basketball Association
Utah Rockies	1976	Basketball	American Basketball Association
Salt Lake City Prospectors	1978	Basketball	Western Basketball Association
Utah Snowbears	2004	Basketball	American Basketball Association (new)
Salt Lake Dream	2006	Basketball	American Basketball Association (new)
Utah Eagles	2006	Basketball	Continental Basketball Association
Utah Flash	2007	Basketball	NBA Development League
Salt Lake City Saints	2008	Basketball	American Basketball Association (new)

Utah Valor (2018-Present) The Basketball Tournament(TBT)

Women’s Basketball

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Starzz	1997	Basketball	Women's National Basketball Association

Ice Hockey

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Salt Lake Golden Eagles	1969	Ice Hockey	WHL / CHL / IHL
Utah Grizzlies (1995–2005)	1995	Ice Hockey	IHL / AHL / ECHL

Indoor American Football

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Catzz	1997	Indoor American football	Professional Indoor Football League
Utah Rattlers	2001	Indoor American football	National Indoor Football League
Utah Warriors	2003	Indoor American football	National Indoor Football League
Utah Blaze	2006	Indoor American Football	American Indoor Football Association / Arena Football League
Utah Saints	2008	Indoor American football	American Indoor Football Association
Ogden Knights	2009	Indoor American football	American Indoor Football Association
Salt Lake Screaming Eagles	2016	Indoor American football	Indoor Football League

Indoor Soccer

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Freezz	1999	Indoor soccer	World Indoor Soccer League

In-line Hockey

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Rollerbees	1993	Inline hockey	Roller Hockey International

Rugby

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Warriors	2010	Rugby union	Rugby Super League

Men’s Soccer

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Golden Spikers (FKA Utah Pioneers)	1976	Soccer	American Soccer League
Salt Lake Sting	1990	Soccer	American Professional Soccer League
Utah Blitzz	1999	Soccer	USL Second Division
Utah Salt Ratz	2003	Soccer	National Premier Soccer League
Ogden Outlaws	2006	Soccer	Premier Development League

Women’s Soccer

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Utah Starzz (FKA Utah Spiders)	1999	Soccer	Women's Premier Soccer League
Rush Salt Lake City	2007	Soccer	Women's Premier Soccer League
Real Salt Lake Women	2007	Soccer	United Women's Soccer

Ultimate

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Salt Lake Lions	2014	Ultimate	American Ultimate Disc League

Volleyball

Club	Year introduced	Sport	League
Salt Lake City Stingers	1979	Volleyball	International Volleyball Association
Utah Predators	1994	Volleyball	Women's Western Volleyball League

The use of the letter "Z"

The professional sports team nicknames are often noted for the unusual frequency of the letter Z appearing in team nicknames (such as the Utah Jazz). This phenomenon reached the peak of its popularity during the 1990s; however, several Utah teams continue to make use of the letter Z. At least ten Utah-based professional sports franchises have used team names that include the letter Z, some of which are intentionally spelled incorrectly, using the Z unnecessarily or as a replacement for another letter. Commenting on the proliferation of such team names, New York Times sportswriter Alan Schwarz called Utah "the state where sports fans go to get their Z's."^[1] Local television stations KJZZ-TV (which was owned by Larry H. Miller from 1993 until his estate sold the station in 2016) and KPNZ also played off the Jazz's name to end their calls with Z's.

Early Utah -zz teams

The popularity of the Z in Utah sports was likely inspired in part by the unusual nickname of the Utah Jazz NBA team, which in 1979 relocated from New Orleans —which is noted for jazz music— to Salt Lake City, which is not. Up until the early 1990s, Utah's other professional teams used somewhat conventional nicknames (such as the Stars, Golden Eagles, and Trappers).

With the arrival of the Salt Lake Buzz in 1994, the similarity of the nicknames "Buzz" and "Jazz" was unmistakable (although the name "Buzz" was really a play on the name of owner Joe Buzas, as well as a nod to Utah's "Beehive State" moniker).^[2]^[3] The following year, the Utah Grizzlies minor league hockey team also entered the market.

Utah becomes a -zz market

Hootz, the Orem Owlz mascot

The announcement of the Utah Starzz WNBA franchise in 1996 cemented the state's propensity for using the letter Z in its team names. ^[4] The peculiar "Starzz" nickname was an homage to the Jazz (as well as to the old Utah Stars ABA team).^[5] The precedent firmly set, several -zz teams entered the Utah market in subsequent years, to include the Utah Catzz, Utah Freezz, and Utah Blitzz.

From 1994 to 1999, at least seven professional sports teams in the state adopted nicknames containing a double Z (see table below). All of these team names ended in -zz, except the Utah Grizzlies (which are also commonly called "the Grizz").^[6] With the exception of the Jazz and Grizzlies, none of the -zz teams remain in Utah today, each having relocated, folded, or renamed the franchise.

The Ogden Raptors (1994–present) were the only notable Utah pro franchise to forgo use of the letter Z when entering the Utah market during the 1990s. The Raptors offered this as a selling point, using the slogan "All the fun without the ZZs!"^[7] Since 2000, new and renamed franchises have tended to steer away from the Z naming fad, opting instead for names such as Salt Lake Bees, Utah Flash, Real Salt Lake, and Utah Royals FC. However, the creation of the Orem Owlz in 2005 and the Utah Blaze in 2006 provide some indication that Utah's Z nicknaming trend continues.

Selected Utah Professional sports teams
-ZZ teams
Team Name	Sport (League)	Nickname still in use	Years used
Utah Jazz	Basketball (NBA)	Yes	1979–present
Salt Lake Buzz	Baseball (PCL)	No – Renamed	1994–2001
Utah Grizzlies	Hockey (IHL/AHL/ECHL)	Yes	1995–present (two franchises)
Utah Starzz	Basketball (WNBA)	No – Relocated	1997–2002
Utah Catzz	Indoor football (PIFL)	No – Folded	1997–1998
Utah Freezz	Indoor soccer (WISL)	No – Folded	1999–2001
Utah Blitzz	Soccer (USL-2)	No – Folded	1999–2004
St. George Pioneerzz	Baseball (WBL)	No – Folded	1999–2001
Other Z teams
Orem Owlz	Baseball (Pioneer League)	Yes, but relocated from Utah	2005–2020
Utah Blaze	Arena football (AFL I and AFL II)	Yes	2006–present
Notable non-Z teams introduced since 1990
Ogden Raptors	Baseball (Pioneer League)	Yes	1994–present
Utah Rattlers	Indoor football (NIFL)	No – Folded	2001
Salt Lake Stingers/Bees	Baseball (PCL)	Yes	2002–present
Utah Warriors	Indoor football (NIFL)	No – Folded	2003–2004
Real Salt Lake	Soccer (MLS)	Yes	2004–present
Utah Snowbears	Basketball (new ABA)	No – Folded	2004–2005
Utah Eagles	Basketball (CBA)	No – Folded	2006–2007
St. George RoadRunners	Baseball (GBL)	No – Relocated	2006–2010
Utah Flash	Basketball (NBA G League)	Yes	2007–present
Utah Saints	Indoor football (AIFA)	No – Folded	2008–2008
Utah Royals FC	Soccer (NWSL)	Yes	2017–2020, 2024-

Notes:

The Ogden Raptors previously played as Salt Lake City Trappers from 1985 to 1992.
The Orem Owlz previously played as Provo Angels from 2001–2004, taking its name from the parent Anaheim Angels franchise. The Owlz' last season playing in Orem was 2019; the team had planned to play in 2020, but the 2020 season of all leagues in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) was not played due to COVID-19. After the contraction of MiLB in 2021, the Owlz were purchased by a Colorado-based group; the team was on hiatus for the 2021 season before resuming in 2022 as the Windsor-based Northern Colorado Owlz.
The Salt Lake Buzz, Stingers, and Bees are various names for the same Pacific Coast League team.
After the 2020 NWSL season, Utah Royals FC folded amid a controversy surrounding the principal owner of its parent club, Real Salt Lake, that led to that team's sale. The Royals' player-related assets were assumed by a new ownership group in Kansas City. Following the closure of Real Salt Lake's sale in 2022, the new owners exercised an option to revive the Royals, which will start play in 2024 as a continuation of the original franchise.

References

^ Schwarz, Alan. "Go, Banana Slugs! Beat The Burn!", New York Times, 19 July 1998.
^ Lange, Scott. "Mascot lawsuits drain Buzz Fund", Georgia Tech Technique, accessed 12 May 2008.
^ Dicou, Natalie. "Salt Lake Buzz…er, Stingers…er, I forget" Archived 2007-05-08 at the Wayback Machine, Utah Daily Chronicle, 24 May 2006, retrieved 18 May 2008.
^ For example, see: Jorgensen, Loren. "Utah's WNBA Team Dubbed the 'Starzz'", Deseret News, 29 January 1997, pg D1 (accessible at Deseret News archives Archived 2012-07-30 at archive.today).
^ Hollis, Randy. "Starzz starting to shine bright as Jazz fade into history"^{[permanent dead link‍]}, Ogden Standard-Examiner, 2 June 2002 (republished by realgm.com).
^ For example, see: Hamilton, Linda. "Grizz Excited To See Wirll Skate", Deseret News (hosted by Utah Grizzlies), accessed 12 May 2008.
^ Wadsworth, Reuben. "I'm gonna miss the ZZZs and the Buzz," Archived 2012-07-15 at archive.today The Utah Statesman, 2 February 2001, retrieved 19 May 2008. See also archived Ogden Raptors website.

[1] The original Royals folded after the 2020 season. The team was reestablished in 2023, inheriting the history and records of the former franchise, and will resume play in 2024.

[2] Schwarz, Alan. "Go, Banana Slugs! Beat The Burn!", New York Times, 19 July 1998.

[3] Lange, Scott. "Mascot lawsuits drain Buzz Fund", Georgia Tech Technique, accessed 12 May 2008.

[4] Dicou, Natalie. "Salt Lake Buzz…er, Stingers…er, I forget" Archived 2007-05-08 at the Wayback Machine, Utah Daily Chronicle, 24 May 2006, retrieved 18 May 2008.

[5] For example, see: Jorgensen, Loren. "Utah's WNBA Team Dubbed the 'Starzz'", Deseret News, 29 January 1997, pg D1 (accessible at Deseret News archives Archived 2012-07-30 at archive.today).

[6] Hollis, Randy. "Starzz starting to shine bright as Jazz fade into history"^{[permanent dead link‍]}, Ogden Standard-Examiner, 2 June 2002 (republished by realgm.com).

[7] For example, see: Hamilton, Linda. "Grizz Excited To See Wirll Skate", Deseret News (hosted by Utah Grizzlies), accessed 12 May 2008.

[8] Wadsworth, Reuben. "I'm gonna miss the ZZZs and the Buzz," Archived 2012-07-15 at archive.today The Utah Statesman, 2 February 2001, retrieved 19 May 2008. See also archived Ogden Raptors website.

[a]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]