On the drive from the Salt Lake City International Airport to the University of Utah campus, heading east on Route 269, it’s impossible to miss the red and white mural painted on the wall of a graying building in Utah’s largest city.



“Welcome to SLC, Home of the Utes” it reads.



The mural was commissioned in 2015 by the athletic department to “expand our brand into downtown,” marketing director Jennifer White said at the time.



And those who have lived in the community for the past decade or so would likely agree it has happened. While Salt Lake City is the world headquarters of the Mormon faith and home of Temple Square, which would naturally have its congregants leaning toward the LDS-run BYU located less than an hour south, the area has undergone a reddening in terms of its fandom in recent years.



Bill Riley, who is entering his 11th year as the Voice of the Utes and has lived in Salt Lake City for nearly two...