Interesting article on Black Players In Utah

[ProfessorJM]

There are so many variables into what people meaningfully evaluate in living someplace. A lot of cities offer what one person needs, but clearly not another. What if say I have to live in a city with say oh...authentic Persian food because I love it that much? Or sushi? Or you need snow and the four seasons? You need to see Broadway quality theater shows? You want certain types of music concerts happening locally? Schools - say for your desire for your kids you want a district that teaches Mandarin language? Or Korean? Or Arabic? Some people are bothered by a lack of diversity and others want their community more homogeneous. There are so many little things that matter for quality of life unique to each individual so no shock that any particular player or person for that matter would have clear preferences for where they live, etc.

[Scatocephalus]

Honestly I have lived in SLC for almost 8 years now and I hate it. I had a lot of LDS friends back in Washington state who talked it up so I was willing to take that transfer. Since being here I can't think of s place I have lived or worked that I like less. It's an insular and xenophobic community, I-15 traffic is awful, the winters are terrible, the separation of church and state is murky at best, and the air quality rivals LA.

Move.

[Nate505]

Pau Gasol said he went to Chicago partially because he liked opera and art museums, was that wrong of him?

It always amazes me that people can't conceptualize that other people value different qualities than they do, and that people make decisions and have preferences based on multiple factors.

It's like people getting angry if you don't think a woman they like is attractive. People have different preferences, and for many NBA players, they prefer other cities to Utah.

Probably because Salt Lake seems to get more crap than other cities about it. I've never heard cities like Milwaukee get any crap for not being culturally amazing, even though it's nothing to write home about.

Milwaukee is the beer capitol of the world. Utah just made the legal limit .05, and beer off base has to be 3%.

Utah gets horrible smog; Milwaukee has none.

Utah drivers are much worse than Milwaukee drivers. Why do so many Utah drivers get in the fast lane and then drive slow? You have super timid drivers and super aggressive drivers. I've been rear ended twice in Utah and no times anywhere else.

Milwaukee is culturally diverse; Utah is not.

Utah has the worst smelling lake I have ever been around; Milwaukee has Lake Michigan.

Utah is a super dry dessert that somehow gets a lot of snow, but the atmosphere is so thin you could get a sunburn and frostbite at the same time. Yeah, Milwaukee's winters are harsh but so are Utah winters.

Milwaukee's zoo is much better than the SLC zoo.

The children are more badly behaved in Utah than any other state I have ever lived in. There's always a mom out with 14 kids running around. I've had 2 knee surgeries and live in constant fear of a child in this state running into my left knee.

The motorcycle and electric guitar were invented in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has Harleyfest.

Milwaukee has summerfest; Utah doesn't have a musical festival that comes close.

I've lived in both Milwaukee and Utah and I like Milwaukee a lot better. It's also only 2 hours away from Chicago!

Not a very compelling list. Like who gives a **** how close a city is to Chicago?

[Mr. E]

Los Angeles has Subways?

Yeah, i was surprised about that when I first found out, too!

I like interesting little facts about cities and their histories. For example here in Houston not many people realize that we have a series of underground tunnels in downtown which connect most of the skyscrapers in the downtown area.

[Clemenza]

It wasn't a problem for Karl Malone and it shouldn't be a problem for anyone else.

He was a black 'redneck' tho.. Salt Lake was a step up for him


-But Utah ain't bad plus you're on the road half the season anyways. I believe some of these guys go to Vegas. That's just a short Southwest flight away if you got a couple of days off in between games

[Pennebaker]

“When people order catfish, we have to ask them if they’ve had catfish. They were sending it back after one bite saying that the fish went bad. The fish isn’t bad. It’s catfish. It has a very distinct flavor. I don’t know if they were expecting halibut or trout or what. They’ve never had catfish in their life and then one bite later they are telling us our food is bad.”

I don't know who this guy is, but he's wrong here. Good catfish will never have any person, white or otherwise, saying that the fish went bad. Catfish (or any well prepared fish) should not taste or smell "fishy". If someone says that the fish tastes or smells like it went bad, then the problem is with the quality of the fish and not with the customer. Period.

But, of course, because Utah is relatively remote - and so far inland - you're not going to find a lot of fresh fish. So that may be a factor.

In any case, well prepared fresh fish should satisfy your palette like a perfectly cooked filet mignon. In the case of catfish, it should come across as the most tender flattened and breaded fried chicken breast you've ever had.

So... if this guy is any example... no wonder those soul food restaurants closed. They're doing it wrong.

[XtotheDeezy]

“When people order catfish, we have to ask them if they’ve had catfish. They were sending it back after one bite saying that the fish went bad. The fish isn’t bad. It’s catfish. It has a very distinct flavor. I don’t know if they were expecting halibut or trout or what. They’ve never had catfish in their life and then one bite later they are telling us our food is bad.”

I don't know who this guy is, but he's wrong here. Good catfish will never have any person, white or otherwise, saying that the fish went bad. Catfish (or any well prepared fish) should not taste or smell "fishy". If someone says that the fish tastes or smells like it went bad, then the problem is with the quality of the fish and not with the customer. Period.

But, of course, because Utah is relatively remote - and so far inland - you're not going to find a lot of fresh fish. So that may be a factor.

In any case, well prepared fresh fish should satisfy your palette like a perfectly cooked filet mignon. In the case of catfish, it should come across as the most tender flattened and breaded fried chicken breast you've ever had.

So... if this guy is any example... no wonder those soul food restaurants closed. They're doing it wrong.

Catfish is caught inside of Utah.

[Pennebaker]

“When people order catfish, we have to ask them if they’ve had catfish. They were sending it back after one bite saying that the fish went bad. The fish isn’t bad. It’s catfish. It has a very distinct flavor. I don’t know if they were expecting halibut or trout or what. They’ve never had catfish in their life and then one bite later they are telling us our food is bad.”

I don't know who this guy is, but he's wrong here. Good catfish will never have any person, white or otherwise, saying that the fish went bad. Catfish (or any well prepared fish) should not taste or smell "fishy". If someone says that the fish tastes or smells like it went bad, then the problem is with the quality of the fish and not with the customer. Period.

But, of course, because Utah is relatively remote - and so far inland - you're not going to find a lot of fresh fish. So that may be a factor.

In any case, well prepared fresh fish should satisfy your palette like a perfectly cooked filet mignon. In the case of catfish, it should come across as the most tender flattened and breaded fried chicken breast you've ever had.

So... if this guy is any example... no wonder those soul food restaurants closed. They're doing it wrong.

Catfish is caught inside of Utah.

No, channel catfish is caught inside of Utah, which is different. Utah has tiny catfish compared to the traditional venues of fried catfish. In any case, that doesn't matter. The freshness of the fish has a lot to do with infrastructure, and Salt Lake City just doesn't have the kind of fresh fish infrastructure that cities closer to the coasts have.

[maisenza13]

maybe the distance of some glamour and important cities is a factor.

But as the results say there is a perfect environment to sport in a very professional way

[Ballerhogger]

I wonder how many pro teams LA could support. The world may never know......

[Jaballa Parkay]

Probably because Salt Lake seems to get more crap than other cities about it. I've never heard cities like Milwaukee get any crap for not being culturally amazing, even though it's nothing to write home about.

Milwaukee is the beer capitol of the world. Utah just made the legal limit .05, and beer off base has to be 3%.

Utah gets horrible smog; Milwaukee has none.

Utah drivers are much worse than Milwaukee drivers. Why do so many Utah drivers get in the fast lane and then drive slow? You have super timid drivers and super aggressive drivers. I've been rear ended twice in Utah and no times anywhere else.

Milwaukee is culturally diverse; Utah is not.

Utah has the worst smelling lake I have ever been around; Milwaukee has Lake Michigan.

Utah is a super dry dessert that somehow gets a lot of snow, but the atmosphere is so thin you could get a sunburn and frostbite at the same time. Yeah, Milwaukee's winters are harsh but so are Utah winters.

Milwaukee's zoo is much better than the SLC zoo.

The children are more badly behaved in Utah than any other state I have ever lived in. There's always a mom out with 14 kids running around. I've had 2 knee surgeries and live in constant fear of a child in this state running into my left knee.

The motorcycle and electric guitar were invented in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has Harleyfest.

Milwaukee has summerfest; Utah doesn't have a musical festival that comes close.

I've lived in both Milwaukee and Utah and I like Milwaukee a lot better. It's also only 2 hours away from Chicago!

Not a very compelling list. Like who gives a **** how close a city is to Chicago?

Maybe players who are from Chicago or someone from the Bulls who has a family that doesn't want to move. D. Rose once said Milwaukee is "like home".

[NZB2323]

Probably because Salt Lake seems to get more crap than other cities about it. I've never heard cities like Milwaukee get any crap for not being culturally amazing, even though it's nothing to write home about.

Milwaukee is the beer capitol of the world. Utah just made the legal limit .05, and beer off base has to be 3%.

Utah gets horrible smog; Milwaukee has none.

Utah drivers are much worse than Milwaukee drivers. Why do so many Utah drivers get in the fast lane and then drive slow? You have super timid drivers and super aggressive drivers. I've been rear ended twice in Utah and no times anywhere else.

Milwaukee is culturally diverse; Utah is not.

Utah has the worst smelling lake I have ever been around; Milwaukee has Lake Michigan.

Utah is a super dry dessert that somehow gets a lot of snow, but the atmosphere is so thin you could get a sunburn and frostbite at the same time. Yeah, Milwaukee's winters are harsh but so are Utah winters.

Milwaukee's zoo is much better than the SLC zoo.

The children are more badly behaved in Utah than any other state I have ever lived in. There's always a mom out with 14 kids running around. I've had 2 knee surgeries and live in constant fear of a child in this state running into my left knee.

The motorcycle and electric guitar were invented in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has Harleyfest.

Milwaukee has summerfest; Utah doesn't have a musical festival that comes close.

I've lived in both Milwaukee and Utah and I like Milwaukee a lot better. It's also only 2 hours away from Chicago!

Not a very compelling list. Like who gives a **** how close a city is to Chicago?

People who like going to Chicago.

As someone who has lived in Milwaukee and Utah, everything on this list is important to me.

[HeartBreakKid]

Arguing what the better city is between Milwaukee and Salt Lake City, never thought I'd see this one.

[Tave]

Frankly, SLC can be a very lonely and seemingly unfriendly place for outsiders of every race.

Mormons are usually incredibly nice and kind people, but their social interactions are heavily influenced by church life, and in SLC especially it's easy for a person to feel "frozen out" or "ignored" when he or she isn't a part of that culture.

SLC isn't all that Mormon though. This myth just keeps existing.

I couldn't disagree more. Salt Lake City is more "Mormon" than any other large US city is "(Insert a specific sect here)"

Is everyone in Salt Lake LDS? No, but it's a huge majority, their church participation/interaction rates are much higher than most mainstream Christians, and they run a lot of social and civic institutions. Salt Lake is more of an inclusive city than some Utah communities, that's true for sure, but you can put it right up there with the Seattle Freeze or A-hole NYers for well earned reputational woes that have more than a ring of truth.

"Especially" was poor wordchoice on my part.

[Tave]

SLC isn't all that Mormon though. This myth just keeps existing.

Salt Lake City was 65.6% White Non-Hispanic and 50% Mormon as of the 2010 census. Certainly less white than Portland or several East Coast cities.

The other thing to remember about the percentage is the number of active Mormons in Salt Lake is low. The political results play it out. Would a 50% active Mormon city elect a lesbian woman for mayor?

It would be like being frightened you could never find bacon at a restaurant because you moved to a city that was 50% Jewish, then finding out the % that was Orthodox was really small.

Mormonism has a large number of non-white followers as a result of the church's worldwide mission programs. A 50% nominal majority is abnormally high for a large American city. For reference, Boston, despite its reputation as an Irish-American cultural stronghold, is a mere 29% Catholic. Most big cities are very diffuse sect-wise unless you group all of Protestantism/Christianity together.

[Winglish]

Bryon Russell, on what it was like to come to Utah: "I had an ABSOLUTE BLAST! I was welcomed everywhere and I felt like part of the family right from the jump!"

Chris Morris, on what it was like in Utah: "I was one who said I would never come [to Utah]...I fell in LOVE with it! Don't knock it 'til you try it!" Morris spoke at length about how he and his family loved it in Utah and especially as a father he was happy because his kids loved being able to run around and feel safe and free outside.

Sent from my SM-N900T using RealGM mobile app

[Winglish]

http://www.1280thezone.com/former-jazz-man-chris-morris-says-hes-excited-to-return-to-salt-lake-city/

Sent from my SM-N900T using RealGM mobile app

[Nate505]

Frankly, SLC can be a very lonely and seemingly unfriendly place for outsiders of every race.

Mormons are usually incredibly nice and kind people, but their social interactions are heavily influenced by church life, and in SLC especially it's easy for a person to feel "frozen out" or "ignored" when he or she isn't a part of that culture.

SLC isn't all that Mormon though. This myth just keeps existing.

I couldn't disagree more. Salt Lake City is more "Mormon" than any other large US city is "(Insert a specific sect here)"

Is everyone in Salt Lake LDS? No, but it's a huge majority, their church participation/interaction rates are much higher than most mainstream Christians, and they run a lot of social and civic institutions. Salt Lake is more of an inclusive city than some Utah communities, that's true for sure, but you can put it right up there with the Seattle Freeze or A-hole NYers for well earned reputational woes that have more than a ring of truth.

"Especially" was poor wordchoice on my part.

They aren't all that active though. I mean, their mayor is an open lesbian who isn't LDS. That would never happen in Provo for example. Why? Because that's a place where the active Mormons are.

So if a city is 50% LDS by some sort of identification, but that % doesn't lead much of a church life, is it really all that LDS? On a smaller scale, is my mother in law a Catholic even though she hasn't been to church in 40 years?

[Tave]

SLC isn't all that Mormon though. This myth just keeps existing.

I couldn't disagree more. Salt Lake City is more "Mormon" than any other large US city is "(Insert a specific sect here)"

Is everyone in Salt Lake LDS? No, but it's a huge majority, their church participation/interaction rates are much higher than most mainstream Christians, and they run a lot of social and civic institutions. Salt Lake is more of an inclusive city than some Utah communities, that's true for sure, but you can put it right up there with the Seattle Freeze or A-hole NYers for well earned reputational woes that have more than a ring of truth.

"Especially" was poor wordchoice on my part.

They aren't all that active though. I mean, their mayor is an open lesbian who isn't LDS. That would never happen in Provo for example. Why? Because that's a place where the active Mormons are.

So if a city is 50% LDS by some sort of identification, but that % doesn't lead much of a church life, is it really all that LDS? On a smaller scale, is my mother in law a Catholic even though she hasn't been to church in 40 years?

As I said, "especially" was a bad choice of word on my part as I realized it implied a comparison between other cities in Utah. You are right, SLC is more cosmopolitan than Provo. Then again Provo is only 100,000 people and 90% LDS.

I wouldn't say the Mormons in SLC are less active than they are anywhere else, and Mormons in general are much more active than Catholics or any other mainstream US Christian denomination.

And obviously you can make friends, Mormon and non-Mormon, in SLC and find secular things to do there. All I'm saying is that, in comparison to other large US cities, it is very different. It doesn't surprise me that some minority basketball players might feel a little awkward living somewhere like a Denver or OKC or SLC, but SLC in particular doesn't surprise me because I know a lot of white people who grew up in the Midwest who lived in SLC and felt a similar sense of awkwardness.