Soccer Team Owner Allegedly Made Racist Remarks

What happened to this guy?

Since I live in Salt Lake City, I have seen the controversy surrounding the owner of the professional soccer team in Utah played out all over the news. It has made the national news as well. After the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team decided not to play their game which had been scheduled, most professional sports teams followed suit. The players in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and others joined in the effort to bring attention to racism.

After professional soccer decided not to play their scheduled games either, Dell Roy Hansen, owner of the REAL Salt Lake team, was not in favor of the decision. He talked to a local radio station about his feelings. He was criticized for his comments which were taken to sound racist.

Since that initial interview, other matters have come up where Hansen is alleged to have made racial comments in the past. He is accused of making offensive racial remarks to players, staff, and associates over the years.

Now Hansen is under investigation by the soccer league. He has been told by fans and others that he should sell the team. He could be forced out and has taken a leave of absence.

“Real Salt Lake, also known as RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise that competes as a member club of Major League Soccer in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2005 as an expansion team of the league. The club was founded in 2004 when the club’s first owner and founder was awarded an expansion berth in Major League Soccer.” [From Wikipedia]

While Black athletes do not dominate in professional soccer as they do in football, basketball, and other sports, there are several Black members on the Real Salt Lake soccer team.

A story was written in the Utah Business Magazine entitled “Dell Loy Hansen: At the Helm of a Modern Business Empire.” It was written by Aisley Oliphant in an issue dated January 25, 2016.

It was reported that Hansen said he has a desire to foster a better community which he called his “big tent” philosophy where everyone is welcome.

Hansen is quoted as saying: “You can be totally church-going, saluting, or you can be an anarchist and be in this family. If you get any essence that I rail against in life, it’s small tents or exclusive tents. What I want is a group that represents and allows everyone in — be it a church, be it a political party, be it anything. Everyone’s invited. That’s our theory of life, are the big tents. Real’s a big tent. We talk a lot about that. This belongs to the community. I’m just simply a short-term caretaker.”

What happened to the big tent philosophy?

The article makes it sound as if Hansen is inclusive and wants everyone to be welcome. It seems like he should be tolerant and accepting of everyone. What happened to this guy? When and why did he change his viewpoint? When did he become racist? He would probably loudly proclaim that he is not racist. His words seem to dispute that.

His future with professional soccer is unknown.

[Sources: NBC News, Associated Press, Utah Business Magazine, Wikipedia]