Boom Scare

It was a 'Twilight Zone' moment for a soccer fan. All of your wildest dreams and yet most feared nightmares had suddenly come crashing together in on ironic event. A local tv station issued a story that a professional soccer franchise was coming to Utah! The name of the team? The Boom. No, that's not a typo. The Boom. Like the sound of your heart as it hits the floor from hearing such absurd news.

Word of the news story hit the Blitzz discussion board just as I was preparing to drive back to Illinois for a family gathering. The best way I can describe my reaction is ecstatic embarrassment. Ecstatic by the prospect of watching top-flight American soccer in person, but embarrassed by the name choice. As the mile markers along I-70 passed in abundance all I could say was, "The Boom? Where did they come up with the Boom?" Of course, at that time no one knew who "they" were. Who was responsible for getting MLS to even look at Utah? Through further investigation I began to see that no other news agencies had published any such news about MLS in Utah. And by the time we returned home to Logan it was discovered that the local tv people had made a mistake. The explanation I recall is that a couple rumors hit the sports desk of the station and the people there came to their own conclusion.

We know now that the better part of the rumors had substance. MLS was indeed talking to an investor who wanted to bring a team to the area. Thank goodness for Mr. Checketts. Upon announcing the team he did not reveal the name or colors. But he did promise that the name would not have any double 'z's or that it would be The Boom. Whew. That was a relief. Having Boom as a name would have been more scary for the home fans than for the opposing.