Soccer elevated

The DesMoNews has a nice article today about the new Real Salt Lake stadium under construction in Sandy.

As a fan of the team, it gives me great joy each day to drive past the stadium as I commute to and from work. I wonder, however, how non-fans feel. I imagine that most are probably indifferent, maybe don't even notice the hulking steel structure rising from among the field and trees of that area. There are also many, I'm sure, that are offended by the structure. Maybe it's an architectural disagreement, but most likely it's political.

So while the soccer stadium may symbolize to many everything that is wrong in Utah politics - backdoor dealing, catering to big businesses while ignoring voter sentiment - this structure symbolizes something quite different to me.

I see myself waiting to meet friends at the base of the "Spanish steps" and then climbing those grand staircases in anticipation of the view of the green pitch that awaits me at the top. I see years of entertainment drawn from the roller coaster ride that is the Major League Soccer season - the thrill of a great save, the masterful choreography of a commanding midfield, and the disappointment and heartbreak of a late goal scored by an opposing team. I see 21,000 fans rising from their seats to applaud 90 minutes of fast-paced soccer. And because I'm a Sandy resident, I can see my children one day walking across a stage down on the pitch, wearing cap and gown, as they graduate from my own alma mater, Jordan High School.

To me this soccer stadium symbolizes community, and I think this is no mistake. The very design of the structure seems to communicate: This is our house!