Sitting on the edge: Utah's spectator sports and collegiate teams bring out the competitive spirit of Utahns and keep them cheering year round.

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You don't have to spend much time in Utah to understand how much residents of the Beehive State love their sports. Two major league professional teams, a variety of minor league clubs and top-notch collegiate sports keep Utahns cheering year round. Plus, here in Utah world-class facilities aren't only open to the public, they're also affordable and--even more importantly--approachable.

The Utah Jazz (nba.com/jazz) is the most popular team in town. From November to April (and often beyond), the Jazz fills EnergySolutions Arena to

capacity and captures the attention of basketball fans throughout the state--and the world.

Real Salt Lake (realsaltlake.com) is Utah's Major League Soccer franchise. Real (pronounced RAY-al, the Spanish word for royal; also known as RSL) claimed the MLS Cup in 2009. The team plays at state-of-the-art Rio Tinto Stadium (the RioT), which hosted the 2009 MLS All-Star Game.

With an incredible 10 Olympic records and eight world records, the Utah Olympic Oval, located in Kearns, stands uncontested as the Fastest Ice on Earth following the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Utah Olympic Oval is home to the U.S. Speedskating team (usspeedskating.com) and also hosts regular speedskating competitions, including the World Cup in long and short track.

Each September, hundreds of triathletes descend on Ogden to participate in the Xterra Games USA Championship race (xterraplanet.com/utah). This grueling test of endurance calls Utah home, thanks to our challenging mountains, a vast variety of lakes and boisterous fans. The Utah race serves as a qualifier for Xterra World Championship held in Hawaii.

Tour of Utah...