Comments about ‘Real Salt Lake: Dave Checketts meets with MLS owners’

Bad idea. I understand some of the players' gripes, but the short answer is 'not yet'. If the league folded how many of you (players) could find comparable work/pay in USL etc or other leagues? My guess, especially if the whole league became available and upped the supply, is that the number is way too few.

The benefits of a strike at this point in time do NOT outweigh the cost/risk.

RSL-Season ticket holder

I have been a huge RSL supporter since day 1. I've given alot of my hard earned money to this team. But if the players strike, MLS will be dead. The players need to be smart about this, not greedy. Be grateful you have a "job" playing a game.

It's just nice to know that my tax dollars went to fund a team that is losing money and will soon fold. Thank you Jon Huntsman for being fooled into supporting this waste.

I was a supporter of MLS and the stadium in Sandy, but if the players strike and kill the league I have to ask, how do we get our money back? Mr. Shurtleff, how do we get our money back?

I like to follow MLS, especially since I find the main summertime sport competition (baseball) to be incredibly boring, and I don't want there to be a work stoppage, and I'm not sure that I agree with the players, but I think its ridiculous to assert that soccer and the MLS would not be able to overcome a temporary work stoppage. "Strained forever"? That seems to me to be a large exaggeration.

It would be devastating to have a strike. I know there difficult parts for the players in the old CBA and hopefully the owners can make some concessions, but it seems the owners do have all the leverage.

I bought season tickets for the first time this year with some friends. I'm a new fan of the MLS. These guys really need to think before they strike. Think how long it took for baseball to come back after their strike.

By the way Heartwarming, your tax dollars did not go to to pay for that stadium unless you're staying in hotels in SL County. The money only came from "tourist taxes".

"It's just nice to know that my tax dollars went to fund a team that is losing money and will soon fold."

And it's just nice to know you've educated yourself so well on the issue before spouting off.

First of all, RSL signed a 30-year deal with the county. They have to field a team in Sandy for 30 years or they pay an eight-figure penalty. So even if the worst happens and MLS folds (won't happen, but I digress), RSL will simply move to the USL or NASL.

Second, tax dollars didn't "fund a team." Tax dollars paid for the land beneath the stadium, the sidewalks, etc. Those will still be there regardless of what happens with the labor issue.

And third, they're not "your" tax dollars unless you live in a hotel in SL County. 100% of the funds came from hotel taxes.

Do you remember hockey my RSL hero's? Yes, there is still league called NHL but nobody watches outside of Canada because their lockout killed league. It has take the baseball 16 years to gain back full momentum from '94 strike.....and my friends, David Beckham is not walking thru the door this year. So please, for the love of this wonderous valley, for the sake of all RSL faithful young and old......for the sake of RIO Tinto, Carnevale Real, David Archilenko, Flag of Botswana, Shinguards, Rimando jersey, Slim Jim jerkey treats, Dave Checketts lost cell phone, and family and friends of Fedor.....DO NOT STRIKE. It is, how do you say, career suicide. Think not only your own career, but of the good people who take the tickets, sell the food, work the team shop and sell me my season tickets!!!!!

To RSL, I still fairly good at the beautiful game.....please let me know if you holding open tryouts if players strike. I wear number 18 and I have a very strong foot. GOOOOOOOO RSL!!!!!! Let's have a season!!!!!

I'm not gonnna lie that I worry about the attitude RSL player reps have. I would feel a lot more comfortable if Beckerman or Grabavoy was a rep.
The owners are right but they need to let players that are let go by teams be able to sign with others. I do think teams should hold the rights of their players that go to different leagues though.

I used to watch the Jazz, nearly every game, before the strike, now I just look at the scores, never watch a game.

Baseball the same, a weak fan before the strike, never followed after.

Football I still follow, but not as fanaticly (sic).

I fear the same thing would happen to the MLS with me.

Work it out guys, don't strike!

whereas the government represents the people, any tax dollars are the people's tax dollars. So even if the dollars came from one specific revenue stream that did not include the individual Utahn, it is not inaccurate for that Utahn to say my tax dollars helped fund RSL. The Utahns could have put those hotel funds to some other good use, or could have chosen not to collect the hotel funds which might have helped the economy even more by encouraging visitors to come to Utah because the hotel bill wasn't so expensive.

Don't strike, guys. Times are tough -- you won't find the fanbase sympathetic. Your average salary is far higher than ours.

Awesome point dude! I have flown to Utah 7 different times and stayed in hotels and rented a car each time ONLY to go to RSL games. Without RSL, those transient taxes wouldn't be collected at the same rate.

I haven't ever travelled to UT to go to hogle zoo or that pathetic artsy theater district they want to put up.

RSL has/will bring in much more revenue to the state (not just taxes, but also revenue to the local economy) than most other things.

your ignorance and blind hate have turned from annoying to laughable.

"The Utahns could have put those hotel funds to some other good use"

Wrong again. Seriously, when will you people start doing research?

The hotel tax was set to expire - the stadium deal extended it for 20 years. So without the stadium, that extra money never would have existed.

And when's the last time you stayed away from a vacation destination because the hotel taxes were too high? Get real...

that's cool that you're visiting Utah with frequency. i'm glad you help out the state. To assume however that because you do a lot of soccer only travel to Utah, that soccer tourism revenue is a large portion of Utah's overall tourism revenue, is laughable. So is the idea of the government subsidizing millionaires and billionaires to run professional sports teams. I definitely dislike that idea and approach the threshold of hating that idea, but in general as to MLS and soccer generally I am a fan.

The MLS will fold, one way or another. Didn't you read the article? Checketts himself said it's been 15 years and most of the teams STILL aren't making any money. How does that suggest the possibility of long-term success?

Did you notice how the part from my 12:05 post has an "or" after it? It does. So either you're reading really quickly and not thoroughly enough, which is understandable, or you're being dishonest and misquoting others to protect your shortsighted arguments and views.

I like soccer and MLS. I dislike bad government.

Checketts will do the right thing, RSL is losing money right now, how could the players get more. Every sport has outpriced the middle class. It is all about the corp dollar. If the players get what they want, ticket prices will increase. Utah Sports cannot take it. BYU FOOTBALL, UTAH FOOTBALL,JAZZ, BEES, GRIZZLIES, REAL, UTAH Gynmnastic's and BYU Basketball. Where does the money come from? Do not give into the players, Checketts will be OK, he is spending other people's money anyway.

"I like soccer and MLS. I dislike bad government."

Then DO. YOUR. RESEARCH.!!!

Your arguments hold no weight because your facts are all wrong. Every point you've tried to make I've blown out of the water because you haven't done your research. I'm glad you like soccer but not bad government....really, I am. If you want to have a discussion, I'm happy to oblige, but I can't because you haven't done your research. Get your facts straight and then tell me this was bad government.

In summary: DO YOUR RESEARCH!!