Utah
Why didn’t University of Utah Athletics put its private equity deal out for bid?
SALT LAKE CITY — Browse the list of what the University of Utah is seeking bids for these days, and you’ll find it wants to buy parts for power systems and that it’s seeking someone to redevelop the old Fort Douglas military installation.
What you won’t find is requests to bid on its sports teams. Yet, on Tuesday, the campus announced it was essentially selling a stake in Ute athletics to Otro Capital — a New York City-based private equity firm.
It’s a deal worth $400 million or $500 million, according to various news outlets. Normally, when the U of U wants goods or services for anything costing as little as $10,000, it seeks bids posted to a public website.
“All this seems to be backdoor discussions without the public,” said Katherine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah.
Biele said the league was not taking a position on whether private equity should be part of college sports. Its concern is transparency — how taxpayer money is used and how the deal could impact academics.
“Any kind of information helps,” Biele said. “When you keep everything private and behind closed doors, the public has no idea. And of course that’s where people get worried and confused.”
A U of U spokesperson on Friday said a public bid was not necessary because the new company will be owned by the University of Utah Foundation, an independent nonprofit. The foundation was acting on a directive issued by the university’s board of trustees earlier this year.
“The foundation reviewed many entities,” the foundation’s CEO, David Anderson, said in a statement, “including a large number of private capital firms that have experience in sports-related investments.”
Jerry McGinn, an expert on government and the director of the Center for the Industrial Base in Washington, DC, said it’s normal for government agencies to seek bids privately rather than publicly.
“And the word in that community was likely pretty well known that Utah was looking to do something,” McGinn said.
Ben Rosa, an assistant professor of business economics at the University of Michigan, said the U of U may have sought private bids because it had good information about what its athletics are worth.
“But if they don’t,” Rosa said, “then, by not running an auction, by not requesting proposals publicly, they may have been giving up some value.”
University of Utah Foundation President David Anderson issued the following statement:
As you know, the university has been wrestling with the issues confronting our athletics programs for some time. Several months ago, university leaders, including the Board of Trustees, designated the university’s foundation to explore alternatives, potential impacts and whether a partner made sense, and if so, which one.
In consultation with trustees and university leaders, the foundation reviewed many entities, including a large number of private capital firms that have experience in sports-related investments. The foundation will oversee the partnership between Utah Brands & Entertainment and any final partner, including Otro.
A Utah physician is warning that 21 data centers in various stages of development could significantly worsen air quality along the Wasatch Front.
Dr. Brian Moench, with Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, said the planned data centers are cause for alarm. Each facility is expected to generate its own electricity using natural gas power plants.
While natural gas is cleaner than coal, Moench said it still produces nitrogen oxide, which contributes significantly to ozone, particulate formation, and smog.
“There’s no safe level of air pollution. All of it is harmful, even at the very lowest doses,” Moench said.
Moench said health advocates have legitimate reasons to be concerned about what the facilities could mean for public health in the region.
“There is a real legitimate concern on the part of any health advocates about what this impact will mean to the Wasatch Front and public health if all these data centers are built or even if just a few of them are, and that’s not to address the impact on the Great Salt Lake shrinking up and becoming a toxic dust bowl. That’s the next leg of this argument,” he said.
Moench also raised concerns about electronic waste. As computer chips and equipment become obsolete and are replaced, he said the volume of e-waste produced is something no one has yet addressed.
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UTAH COUNTY, May 11, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Two males, ages 14 and 19, were transported to area hospitals Sunday after the side-by-side they were riding rolled down the side of a mountain.
Utah County Sheriff deputies and Santaquin police responded to the 6:07 p.m. call. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene, in the Pole Canyon area, as was a Department of Public Safety helicopter with a hoist in case it was needed, Sgt. Austin Edwards, Utah County Sheriff‘s Office, told Gephardt Daily.
“Eventually, rescue workers were able to make it to the spot on the hill where the vehicle had come to rest, and they were able to secure the victims, stabilize the victims, and get them back down the hill again to where the helicopters were waiting,” Edwards said.
“The 19-year-old male was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and the 14 year old was transported to Primary Children’s in Lehi.”
Both were said to have critical injuries, which were not considered to be life threatening, Edwards said.
“The cause of the rollover is still under investigation, so we don’t have that information available just yet.”
Photos: Utah County Sheriff
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
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