So it probably should surprise no one that the pols on Utah's Capitol Hill (another echo of ancient Rome) have given Dave Checketts $35 million in public funds for a soccer stadium. There was even ample precedent in modern conservative Utah - the Delta Center, Franklin Quest Field, the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The killjoys among the electorate and the intelligentsia will always complain that there are worthier uses for public funds, but once a stadium is built, their grumbling may well be drowned out by the roars of cheering fans.

Count us among the killjoys on this deal. We don't think it pencils out in terms of Checketts and Real Salt Lake making their debt payments. We believe that Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon was right about that.

But we also know how to keep score. The votes in the Senate and the House have been counted and Checketts' prayers for sports welfare have been answered. So in the name of sportsmanship, we'll stop complaining. The call went against us. So be it.

We would ask, however, that Gov. Jon Huntsman and the legislative leadership who championed this deal hold Checketts, in writing, to the terms that Corroon had negotiated on behalf of Salt Lake County. That includes the $7.5 million contribution to the soccer fields in Salt Lake City and the soccer academy to be located here.

We also believe that Checketts should be made to sign a promise that if things go south, he won't come back to the state for more public funds. And he should be made to pledge, in writing, to keep the team in Sandy for at least the term of the bonds that will help to build the stadium. He should have to pay a financial penalty if the team fails for any reason other than that the entire league, that is, Major League Soccer, goes under.

That said, we hope that the new Real Salt Lake stadium is a huge success, especially now that the Senate and the people of Rome - er, Utah - are full partners in the venture.

We, who are about to pay hotel taxes to help build a soccer stadium, salute you.