Today We Are Thankful For…

SALT LAKE CITY – Our team at KSL Sports has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day, whether it is the full return of sports after a pandemic, professional growth or personal wins, we all seem to be filled with gratitude this holiday season.

The rebound of live and in-person sporting events has been nothing short of electrifying. With the Jazz just getting going and local college football teams finding massive success, needless to say, here at KSL Sports we are happily working hard.

Introducing….

Utah's Sports Powerhouse. pic.twitter.com/PHyVe033Mq

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 30, 2021

Our digital team wanted to share personal thoughts on what fills them with gratitude this holiday season. We would love to hear what you’re feeling a little extra thankful for this holiday, get in touch on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

“Covering the Jazz, I’m grateful for the way the organization, specifically the team’s PR staff has found ways to accommodate my professional needs while balancing the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Allowing me access to the team’s practice facilities and courtside seats during shoot-around has brought back a personal aspect of my job while also maintaining a safe environment. And finally, thank you to all the members of the organization from the front office, through the coaching staff and players for their commitment to professionalism towards the media.”

• Ben Anderson, Utah Jazz Insider

“On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for everything sports has taught me. My life has forever entailed sports in some sense, from when I was born in Sydney, Australia going to watch my beloved Sydney Swans, to when I first started playing competitively while living in Tokyo, Japan. My stint at the University of Utah was also incredibly valuable for my growth and development. Sports have taught me a lot about myself, but maybe more importantly, a lot about other people. It has taught me how to communicate, how to express myself, and the importance of transparency. It has also taught me the importance of hard work and dedication. For 29 years sports has played a pivotal role in my growth as a human and I am beyond excited for all of the lessons still to come.”

• Tom Hackett, Real Salt Lake/Utah Football Insider

“I’m thankful that sports can still unify.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world last year, sports went silent. Then when games ultimately returned, the venues remained hush without any fans. During that time, I often wondered if we would ever see sports bring people together as it has for all of our lives.

I’ll never forget covering the BYU-Navy game on Labor Day during the 2020 season and seeing the Cougars run wild over an ill-prepared (thank goodness it was only football) Midshipmen squad. I couldn’t help but think what that moment would have been like with 10,000+ roaring BYU fans in the stands. But it was silent as BYU rolled to a dominant 55-3 win.

Not having that up-close connection for fans always kept them at a distance last year. It almost felt that fans couldn’t fully enjoy the successes of their teams because they weren’t there.

The divide between fans and teams coincided with the divide we all felt from the pandemic, racial injustices pulling on our hearts, and a political landscape that was draining, to say the least.

I assumed this was the new normal and sports would no longer be that means of bringing anyone and everyone from all walks of life to pursue something bigger than one’s self.

I was wrong, and I’m thankful for that.

Seeing capacity crowds in-person or on TV at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Rice-Eccles, Vivint Arena, and others this year has been awesome. Watching fans storm a field or hearing athletes open up about team-bonding moments that were taken away last year, highlights how badly we needed to come together again.

On this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for sports and how it unifies. I’m thankful to help document those moments for all of you here at KSL Sports.”

• Mitch Harper, BYU Insider

“I’m grateful to cover the local players in the NFL and the league in general for KSLSports.com. It’s been exciting to cover the #LocalsInTheNFL over the past couple of seasons, especially with so many impact players that came from the locals universities and high schools. Almost every week of the season, a local player is making a highlight play on football’s biggest stage. Amid a pandemic that has disrupted multiple sporting events, covering the NFL has seen little disturbance and I’m grateful to be able to cover the local players in the league on a weekly basis.”

• Kyle Ireland, Locals In The NFL Insider

“I am thankful to have fans back in college football stadiums. One of the most surreal things I have witnessed in my career is not having fans in attendance at football games. The energy, passion and enthusiasm is amazing and one of the best things about covering college football.

It’s been a treat to see Utah’s offense bring so much juice to the program. Leading the Pac-12 in points per game is not an easy thing to do but here we are. In my years of covering Utah football, it’s always been an expectation of the defense making the big plays, not the offense.”

• Trevor Allen, Utah Utes Insider

“We are grateful for our growing KSL Sports team. This past year has been highlighted by exciting growth with the addition of 1280 The Zone and their talented team. On a daily basis, we are reminded of how appreciative we are of every person on our team, from TV to radio and digital, everyone does innovative work to keep pushing us forward. On top of their incredible work, our KSL Sports team is our family and for that, we are filled with gratitude this holiday season.”

• Nate Dowdle, Sports Director & Madisan Hinkhouse, Executive Producer

Last, and maybe most important, we would all like to say how thankful we are for you, our readers. Thank you for engaging with us and making the Utah sports landscape such a special place to be.