It isn't the presence of the Utah Jazz, a large university or the experience of staging an Olympics or the ensuing scandal that had worldwide ramifications that give you the distinction.

It took a controversy over a stadium.

"There isn't a major city in the country that hasn't had some sort of debate over stadiums," said Neil deMause, co-author of the book, Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit.

"It's not the uncommon way for these things to be decided, it's the usual way."

Although Real Salt Lake's fans might worry the soccer team will move if a solution doesn't come quickly, experts who are following the developments say there is probably little to worry about - it's merely the game within the game.

"It isn't a trend, it's the way of doing business," said Rodney Fort, a sports economics professor at Washington State University. "Team owners understand they are creating economic activity, but the hard part to wade through is whether the public is getting anything for the money it is putting into it and how much it is willing to pay."

Team owners don't become rich by being bad businessmen. They work for the best deal they can get from the city before committing their own finances. However, RSL owner Dave Checketts may have pushed the negotiations to the edge by offering to donate $7.5 million toward youth soccer facilities with one hand while asking for millions more for the stadium with his other.

Seattle, San Diego, Minnesota and Florida are areas currently in the throes of their own controversies. While several nearby areas are vying for the San Diego Chargers, there is a chance the football team could move out of state if it doesn't get a new stadium.

DeMause estimated the public subsidizes about $2 billion a year toward building new pro sports facilities as owners clamor for new, high-tech arenas or sport-specific fields such as RSL wants in Sandy. Madison Square Garden may have charm, but owners covet the newest and grandest facilities built alongside hotels, shops and restaurants that give them the potential to make more money than at the ticket door alone.

"There is a saying owners will push for a new stadium every year if they could get one," deMause said. "It's not a matter of buildings falling down and needing to be replaced by any means."

Threatening to move is a common strategy used by teams, but so far RSL is downplaying that possibility.

"If some other team like baseball or football says that, you ask, 'Where are you going to move to?' because there already is a team in almost every major market," deMause said. "Soccer is still new. There are a lot of places they could go, but we don't even know if the MLS is going to be around in another 15 years."

Another consideration is the long-term financing commitment that stadiums frequently require. A 30-year loan might sound good on your house, but city leaders balk at such long-term debt for arenas that often have a shorter life expectancy than some of the equipment used in it.

"You look at [sports arenas'] financial reports, and many of them are financed 20 to 30 years out," said Ronald Vogel, a professor in Louisville's School of Urban and Public Affairs. "But a lot of stadiums are outdated or get torn down after 10 years. The financing is longer than the real life of these things."

Not only is Salt Lake's controversy common in the sports realm, but Fort, the Washington State professor, also pointed out the same deals and battles take place every day as cities try to woo big businesses.

The difference is athletic teams give cities an added identity and the arguments become more public because of a higher level of interest. Detroit might be Motor City and Fords might rule the roads, but it's the Pistons who are in newspapers across the country and on national TV.

"Sports athletes are celebrities, and that gets weighed in with how much a city is willing to subsidize a business," said James W. Hughes, the dean of the School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers. "A new automobile factory is going to have an impact with jobs, but sports teams have fans over 30,000 and some are quite rabid. There is a benefit to an area to say they have a major-league team."

Ultimately, there is usually a compromise as cities decide having a team is more important than not, even if it costs more than city leaders were initially willing to pay.

"It's like [Kansas City Mayor Emanuell Cleaver] said, without the Chiefs and the Royals, Kansas City would be nothing more than just another Omaha," Fort said.

"I've always wondered, what is wrong with being Omaha?"

Background

Soccer stadium quandary was born recently, when Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon rejected Real Salt Lake's stadium proposal, saying the county would have to pay almost $90 million over the life of the loan to give the team the $35 million it desires for land and facility improvements. The Legislature approved a hotel tax to create the money, but it wouldn't happen until 2011 and taxpayers would be saddled with an $18 million interest bill up-front.

Corroon said he supports the idea of the soccer facility, but didn't like the financial commitment being asked of the public. RSL owner Dave Checketts said he is determined to build the stadium in Sandy and already has bought 20 acres near 9400 S. State St. for the complex and its 20,000-seat soccer stadium.

because the county would pay almost $90 million over the life of the loan to give the team the $35 million it desires for land and facility improvements. The Legislature approved a hotel tax to create the money, but it wouldn't take effect until 2011 and taxpayers would be saddled with an $18 million interest bill up-front.

In rejecting the proposal, Corroon said he supports the idea of the soccer facility, but didn't like the financial commitment being asked of the public. RSL owner Dave Checketts, left, said he is determined to build the stadium in Sandy and already has bought 20 acres near 9400 S. State St., for the complex and its 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium.

THE STADIUM GAME: IT'S A MAJOR LEAGUE SPORT

BIG-LEAGUE

CONTROVERSY

l It seems most major cities have experienced some sort of stadium controversy. Go inside for a look at five examples.