Utah State working again Calvin Tyler Jr. (4) runs to the top zone for a landing throughout the first half of the LA Bowl NCAA faculty soccer recreation towards Oregon State in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (Ashley Landis, Related Press)
Estimated learn time: 8-9 minutes
LOGAN — For Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner, it was a dinner a number of years within the making.
Since his day at Arkansas State, the quarterback had all the time needed to reward his offensive line by taking them out to a pleasant restaurant — a token of gratitude for his or her efforts defending the road of scrimmage. However an all-expenses-paid dinner for a number of massive human beings was a tall process on a student-athlete price range, so Bonner by no means had the possibility.
In November, that each one modified. Bonner signed a reputation, picture, and likeness, or NIL deal, with Deseret First Credit score Union. And considered one of his first expenditures after inking the deal? Take his offensive line out to Kabuki Steakhouse and Sushi Bar on Predominant Avenue in Logan.
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“I imply, that is like an enormous invoice,” Bonner mentioned. “I do not know should you’ve seen these guys once they’re all collectively.
“After I signed with Deseret, I simply needed to say thanks, they usually have been prepared to do it and I took them out to eat. It was a extremely good time. One in every of them ordered a medium-well steak. I used to be type of upset about it. I would moderately him order rooster if he was going to eat a hockey puck.”
Questionable culinary preferences apart, it was a unifying night time out for a gaggle of faculty soccer gamers who have been simply weeks away from profitable the Mountain West championship. It was an evening that probably wouldn’t have occur any season prior.
In July 2021, the NCAA formally deregulated guidelines that prohibited NIL alternatives for its student-athletes; this permitted the gamers of a billion-dollar trade an opportunity to earn cash based mostly on their private manufacturers.
Practically a yr after the groundbreaking announcement, NIL is the speaking level of faculty athletics. Pointers the NCAA initially laid out, resembling “play-for-play” and “fair-market worth” have been largely unenforced, turning NIL into an enormous recruiting software and stirring up controversy in packages and conferences nationally.
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At Utah State, the impression of NIL is not as sizable — at the least from a greenback worth.
Though student-athletes need to disclose their NIL offers with the college, they don’t seem to be public data (Utah State cites them as “instructional data,” that are shielded from public entry attributable to a federal regulation often called FERPA). This makes the precise financial quantity of particular person offers unclear.
What is evident is that six- and seven-figure offers for Aggies student-athletes aren’t fairly within the realm of chance.
“I do not actually know a lot concerning the big contracts and stuff these guys are signing as a result of, I imply, clearly, we’re not an enormous faculty. So you will by no means actually see that with us,” Bonner mentioned. “And lots of guys switch simply due to cash and stuff like that, and I do not assume that we actually need to take care of that at our college.”
Utah State Aggies quarterback Logan Bonner (1) throws in Logan on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. (Picture: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information)
In different phrases, do not anticipate to see Bonner position as much as Utah State’s residence opener towards Connecticut on Aug. 27 in a model new Lamborghini gifted to him from an Aggies booster. However that is not to say NIL hasn’t instantly impacted a handful of Aggies athletes.
In keeping with Athletic Director John Hartwell, 40-50 student-athletes on campus presently have NIL offers. A couple of of these offers contain Olympic sports activities athletes.
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Some members on the observe and subject staff, for instance, have acquired free merchandise in return for sponsoring manufacturers on their social media pages. Nearly all of the offers, nevertheless, have gone towards males’s basketball and soccer gamers.
Probably the most notable beneficiary of NIL final season was basketball ahead Justin Bean. The fan favourite throughout his collegiate profession landed a sponsorship take care of Taco Time — he promoted a “Bean Burrito” combo meal. He additionally teamed up with USU Credit score Union the place he attended occasions all year long and ended up on an organization billboard on I-15 simply south of Brigham Metropolis.
Past Bean’s and Bonner’s offers with recognizable, state-wide manufacturers, different offers have been extra area of interest.
A number of native Cache Valley eating places have organized meet and greets and autograph signings. Bean and Aggies guard Rylan Jones, amongst others, have participated in these kind of occasions. 5 soccer gamers, together with Bonner, acquired compensation by selling the LA Bowl on social media in December; and several other soccer gamers have launched their very own clothes manufacturers.
Some offers are instantly tied to a student-athletes’ skill away from the gridiron. Lengthy Snapper Jacob Garcia acquired a take care of a neighborhood cooking firm the place he teaches cooking courses; defensive Sort out Hale Matuapauaka, a three-time world fireplace knife champion, partnered with Wilson Motor in Logan to carry out for the general public on June 10.
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The way in which Bonner sees it, they’re “broke faculty college students identical to all people else,” and in the event that they’re serving to the college generate profits by their on-field efficiency, they could as nicely have an opportunity to make a revenue themselves.
“We’re up (on-campus) from 7 a.m. to 9 o’clock at night time, each day understanding,” Bonner mentioned. “We have now conferences, we have now hours of conferences and research, after which we have now faculty. Yeah, we’re on full scholarship, and we get our books and stuff paper, which is superb.
Utah State ahead Justin Bean (34) brings the ball up court docket throughout the first half of an NCAA faculty basketball recreation towards Colorado State within the quarterfinals of Mountain West Convention males’s match Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Picture: Rick Bowmer, Related Press)
“However we have no cash to, like, stay off of. It is simply type of prefer it’s sufficient to go, and we will do a couple of issues right here and there. … So it is tough typically, however this helps us have the chance to get some further money and make our lives a bit of bit higher.”
A yr into NIL potentialities, issues have been easy for Utah State, however the college hopes extra of their student-athletes can faucet into their NIL, largely for the advantages Bonner outlined.
Utah State lately entered an settlement with Opendorse, a platform the place student-athletes can create a NIL profile, and each corporations and student-athletes looking for to make NIL offers can join.
“We’re enthusiastic about with the ability to present that platform to permit our student-athletes to hopefully capitalize on some extra NIL offers,” Hartwell mentioned.
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When discussing NIL, there are two advantages Hartwell typically sees: an opportunity for student-athletes to obtain compensation and to offer student-athletes real-world enterprise alternatives whereas in faculty, which is able to assist them of their future careers.
To extend the enterprise savviness of potential NIL recipients, the college is providing a four-credit course on NIL by the Hunstman College of Enterprise within the fall; a number of student-athletes are already enrolled in it.
Bonner has acknowledged the potential long-term, enterprise advantages of NIL and needs his teammates to capitalize. He is attempting to place collectively a job truthful occasion for his teammates, the place he invitations native companies to return and meet with the soccer staff to probably present NIL alternatives and construct connections.
“We’re not getting paid as a lot as these massive colleges, which is okay, I did not anticipate that,” Bonner mentioned. “However I feel the largest side is the networking half. How many individuals can we meet and the way many individuals can affect and get to know us locally and after soccer — see what occurs.”
It is a wholesome, extra sensible method to using NIL that Aggies student-athletes have gotten aware of and coaches and directors are pointing towards. However there’s one other part of NIL Utah State can be kidding themselves in the event that they thought-about it a non issue: recruiting.
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There isn’t any doubt a rise in NIL offers for athletes on campus would profit recruiting, even when it is not the primary promoting level to get a child to Logan.
“NIL questions pretty persistently come up in recruiting and that can solely develop as time goes on,” assistant basketball coach Matt Henry mentioned. “For not all potential student-athletes, however many, it’s a part of the equation in deciding a college.”
The quantity of basketball and soccer recruits who’re solely deciding on the place to attend faculty on who can supply essentially the most cash are nonetheless on this huge minority. And usually, they’re high-profile recruits Utah State would have by no means been in a position to efficiently recruit within the first place.
But when a three-star linebacker is torn between Utah State, Fresno State and Wyoming, a good observe document of athletes discovering NIL alternatives in Logan could possibly be a distinction maker.
“The query does come up: ‘Hey are there NIL alternatives,’” Hartwell admitted. “And we will level to, you recognize, a few of our soccer gamers or males’s basketball gamers who’ve taken benefit of those alternatives.”
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Nationally, NIL nonetheless must be sorted out and the genie “put again into the bottle,” as Hartwell defined.
“I feel it was a bit of naive upfront utilizing the time period ‘cannot be paid above fair-market worth.’ Effectively that is such a nebulous time period,” Hartwell mentioned. “There must be most likely some greenback quantity limits put to it; however I will say this, most likely the rationale why that hasn’t occurred but is you could have the NCAA as a physique who’s, you recognize, for lack of a greater time period, litigation hostile proper now that they do not wish to put limitations on issues in concern of being sued.
“In order that’s a part of it, however I do assume one thing has acquired to be executed to restrict a few of these simply extraordinary quantities that clearly there’s little or no being executed to ‘earn’ these issues.”
At Utah State, the interior perception is issues are being executed the fitting approach; they will adapt and develop with the instances. However one rule appears set in stone: If you happen to’re eating in your teammates’ NIL-earned dime, do not order a steak medium-well.
Displayed at the Utah Pride Center is a quilt panel honoring Michael Spence, also known as the drag queen Tracy Ross. This display helped me connect the recent news of Donald Trump’s reelection with a reminder of a past defined by marginalization and a future where hard-won rights are again at risk.
During his first term, the Trump administration worked to undermine LGBTQ+ protections. I fear a second Trump administration will roll back rights for LGBTQ+ citizens, particularly for transgender individuals.
But we have been here before. By the 1980s, few states recognized hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals. Homosexuality — or sodomy — was criminalized, and many states enacted policies to block lesbian and gay educators from public schools or discussing their private lives at work. Protections in housing and employment in Utah were only won in 2015.
Today, we face a similar fight, though we now have the historical context and resources to help us resist.
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Reflecting on Michael Spence’s life and legacy led me back to Utah’s response during the AIDS crisis. Utah did not begin recording cases of HIV/AIDS until 1983 with Robert Michael Painter and one other person. After about six years of deflecting the problem, President Ronald Reagan helped Congress pass its first substantive federal funding with the AIDS Service Demonstration Grants — of which Utah received $6.4 million for research — and then with the CARE Act, named after Ryan White in 1990. While much of the nation exhorted condemnations and cautionary tales about AIDS, I have found no comments on the epidemic from Governors Scott Matheson or Norman Bangerter. Meanwhile, Utah Bureau of Epidemiology Director Craig Nichols refused to connect advocacy groups considered to be too centered on gay and lesbian rights with federal grant funds. Utahns with AIDS were left on their own and could only rely on the state to count them as a statistic to report.
The lack of government support galvanized Utah’s lesbian and gay community to step up to meet the crisis. In 1985, Dr. Patty Reagan founded the Salt Lake AIDS Foundation (now the Utah AIDS Foundation). Other groups, like the People With AIDS Coalition; AIDS Project Utah; Gay and Lesbian Community Center and Clinic; and ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) worked to support and educate the public. Tensions often rose between leaders and volunteers, with overlapping missions and limited resources, thus creating friction. Yet, the efforts of activists like Dave Sharpton and Sheldon Spears, mobilized a community determined to survive. Sharpton, along with others, founded Horizon House, a sanctuary for those with HIV/AIDS who had nowhere else to go.
Utah’s first public memorial event was a 1989 candlelight vigil that began at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral and passed Temple Square before ending at the Salt Palace, where an enormous section of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt was displayed. Religious and civic leaders joined this event, marking a significant moment of public solidarity and inspiring the first Pride march two years later. Another vigil, in 1990, took place in Memory Grove, where hundreds gathered to honor lives lost. These memorials provided a rare, public space for grieving and solidarity amid the ongoing crisis and the humanization of public health statistics. Now annual fundraisers, marathons and walk-a-thons are held across the state.
In my research, I have so far found names for only 366 Utahns who died from AIDS — many who were born and raised in Utah, but were far from home in their last days. Today, the AIDS Memorial Quilt remains a testament to lives cut short and our chosen community’s resilience, standing as both a memorial and a reminder of how far we’ve come.
In the face of a familiar future, I recall the strength that Utah’s lesbian and gay community displayed during the AIDS crisis. While we have come a long way, the familiar challenges ahead require a unified response. Utah’s LGBTQ+ community now has more tools than ever: social media, massive fundraising resources and effective grassroots organizing. The COVID-19 pandemic also strengthened our sense of community and readiness.
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As an historian of LGBTQ+ Utah, I am inspired by the strength, unity and resilience that our community has shown throughout history. We have confronted adversity before, from organizing during the AIDS crisis to advocating for marriage equality and nondiscrimination protections — and we can do it again.
Randell Hoffman (he/they) is a historian, preservationist and quilter committed to making history accessible and relevant to diverse communities.
Randell Hoffman (he/they) is a historian, preservationist and quilter committed to making history accessible and relevant to diverse communities. As an independent researcher of Utah’s LGBTQ+ history, Randy focuses on amplifying overlooked narratives and fostering spaces where historical preservation intersects with community empowerment.
The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.
For the third time this month and fifth time this season, the Utah Hockey Club failed to score a single goal in a game. This time they fell 1-0 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
The band 4 Non Blondes said it best: What’s going on?
“In the first period we had good momentum, we created good offense and then we started to get in the box way too much,” said head coach André Tourigny after the game. “That cost us momentum.”
The third period was full of chances for Utah HC, but they just couldn’t capitalize.
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At one point, a give-and-go created a perfect opportunity for Maveric Lamoureux at the top of the crease, but his shot went off the underside of the crossbar and out.
On another occasion, a power play bid from Nick Schmaltz hit a body in front of the net and bounced just wide. UHC just couldn’t buy a goal.
The Bruins are glad to get a win in their first game under interim head coach Joe Sacco. Additionally, Elias Lindholm scored the game’s lone goal, breaking a 17-game personal goal drought.
It was a big step in the right direction for the Bruins.
How this works
This is a three-part article geared toward three different audiences.
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First, we’ll have “Utah hockey for dummies” for all you new hockey fans. Welcome, by the way — we’re glad you’ve taken an interest in the greatest sport in the world.
Next, we’ll have a section titled “Utah hockey for casual fans,” aimed at those who have a basic understanding of the sport.
Finally, we’ll have “Utah hockey for nerds.” That will be for those of you who, like me, think about nothing but hockey all day, every day.
Feedback is welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments of this article or the comments section on “X.”
Utah hockey for dummies
Before we get into the nitty gritty details of the game, let’s take a moment to appreciate Robert Bortuzzo and Mark Kastelic. You’d think a game with only one goal would be relatively boring, but these two ensured that was not the case.
Bortuzzo and Kastelic fought each other twice. They had been engaged in some confrontation in the previous game between the two teams on Oct. 19 and they got their opportunity to finish their business a month later.
Mark Kastelic vs Robert Bortuzzo
First NHL game to feature 2 fights by the same combatants since Givani Smith (Red Wings) & Zack MacEwen (Flyers on March 22, 2022 pic.twitter.com/iaHKDNmC1R
On the first bout, Bortuzzo left the bench for the purpose of fighting. As Conor Geekie learned in the preseason, that’s not allowed. Geekie got a one-game suspension and I’d expect the same for Bortuzzo.
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Utah hockey for casual fans
Karel Vejmelka was Utah HC’s best player Thursday, and it wasn’t even close. That’s a major positive point for Utah as Connor Ingram did not accompany the team on this road trip due to an upper-body injury.
Vejmelka will guard the net for the immediate future with Jaxson Stauber backing him up. Tourigny is not worried about giving Vejmelka the net.
“He’s played 50 games twice in his career, so it’s not like he’s a rookie goalie,” Tourigny said before the game. “He did it in the past and he’s capable of doing it again.”
It’s clear that Vejmelka thrives on high shot volume. He stopped all 15 shots he faced in the first period on Thursday, and then stopped 15 of the 16 that came in the ensuing periods.
Thursday’s performance comes after he made headlines against the Carolina Hurricanes last week when he stopped 49 of 50 shots.
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Ingram’s injury is considered day-to-day. He should be back soon, but the net may belong to Vejmelka anyway. Vejmelka has been the much better goalie over the last handful of games.
Utah hockey for nerds
On their last 25 power plays, Utah HC has scored just one goal, and with the amount of penalties they’ve been taking, they’re not putting themselves in a position to succeed.
Let’s break this down, piece by piece, starting with the power play.
Utah HC seems to have no problem setting up in the zone on the power play. They move the puck well and they even get lots of high-quality shots. Why isn’t the puck going in?
Tourigny believes it’s a question of urgency.
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“The guys have to realize (that) if we want to score goals, we have to get in the dirty areas,” he said. “We need to get there with passion. Not just get there — get there with burning desire to score goals.”
As far as the penalties go, they need to be more disciplined. Sure, there are necessary penalties and yes, accidents happen, but taking eight minor penalties in one game is a recipe for disaster.
“I don’t know,” Schmaltz said after the game when asked about accountability for how many penalties the guys were taking. “I feel like we’re beating a dead horse a little bit on that topic.”
The Bruins only had one power play goal, but keep in mind that spending almost an entire period shorthanded significantly limits the amount of scoring chances you get.
Schmaltz also pointed out that when the other team gets so many looks on the power play, their top players are extremely involved in the game while your top players sit on the bench.
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What’s next?
Utah HC gets a day to regroup before visiting Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
As good as Crosby is, he hasn’t been enough to drag the Penguins into the fight. They’ve struggled in a number of areas on the ice, prompting all sorts of trade rumors — even some involving Crosby, who has been a Penguin since 2005.
Utah HC’s job going into Pittsburgh is to get back on track. They need to find ways to score (especially on the power play) and they need to be disciplined away from the puck. If they do this and continue to get solid goaltending, they could receive a much-needed confidence boost.
The game starts at 5 p.m. MDT and will be streamed on Utah HC+ and Utah 16.
While it hasn’t been the most pleasant start for the Utah Jazz during their 2024-25 campaign, amounting to a 3-11 record through their first 14 games, there are still a few glaring signs of optimism to takeaway that shine through in the mix through the beginning of this season, largely thanks to the reps and development opportunities given to the young talent on the roster so far.
Of those young players having a solid role in the rotation to start this season, one of the most appealing in the small sample size has been first-round rookie Isaiah Collier, who’s made an eye-catching first impression since arriving in Salt Lake City.
During ESPN’s most recent batch of power rankings, the Jazz didn’t see much increase from last week, jumping from only 29th to 28th. Still, writer Tim MacMahon gave fans some reason to be excited about this roster moving forward– that being Utah’s rookie point guard.
“Rookie guard Isaiah Collier is only 1-of-12 from 3-point range, but he’s providing evidence that he can make a positive impact,” MacMahon said. “Collier, whose debut was delayed two weeks due to a hamstring injury, has a plus-10 rating in 108 minutes over his first six games. His tenacious, tough defense has made a favorable impression. Entering Tuesday, the Jazz were allowing only 104.5 points per 100 possessions with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Collier on the court, the lowest defensive rating among Utah players.”
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In ESPN’s rankings, the Jazz placed ahead of two teams in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, and are right on the heels of the New Orleans Pelicans at 27th, who, like Utah, have also struggled in the Western Conference this year with a 4-11 regular season record.
Collier was limited to start this season as he suffered a hamstring injury during training camp, but since his return, he’s begun to show some impressive traits on both sides of the ball during his first seven games on the floor. In 18 minutes a night, the USC product is averaging 4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals.
As mentioned by MacMahon, the offensive side of the ball still has some distance to make up in order to be an effective and consistent two-way threat. At just a. 8.3% clip from long range, he’s not much of a threat beyond the arc just yet, but with a long season ahead, there’s a ton of room to recover those shooting splits.
In the meantime, Collier has emerged as a solid contributor as an offensive facilitator and perimeter defender in the backcourt– two areas which this roster can definitely benefit from.
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