National Basketball Association

Utah Jazz: The NBA's Benchmark Front Office

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:32 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jason Oliver/FanSided via Hoops Habit

The Utah Jazz are the epitome of a well-run NBA franchise and their new cancer-fighting partnership with Qualtrics solidifies their position as the benchmark front office.

The Utah Jazz have announced their jersey sponsor for the next three seasons and in doing so have encapsulated what they continue to be as a franchise.

As the Chicago Bulls bicker among themselves, the New York Knicks ban former greats from their arena and the Sacramento Kings, well, just be the Kings, the Jazz remain the pillar of good governance in the NBA.

President Steve Starks on Monday announced their new partnership with research software company Qualtrics, releasing the statement:

“The Utah Jazz and Qualtrics are excited to form a partnership that will both transform the fan experience and make a tangible contribution to eradicating cancer by supporting some of the most important research being done today,”

The deal involves Qualtrics becoming the exclusive Fan Experience Insights and Analytics Partner for the Jazz, as well as the team’s jersey sponsor starting next season — which is where the contribution to eradicating cancer comes in.

Qualtrics started the cancer research charity 5 For The Fight which encourages people to donate $5 to help find the cure. To aid that encouragement, Qualtrics have opted to not put their company logo on the jersey, instead, replacing it with the 5 For The Fight logo.

As the Philadelphia 76ers (StubHub), Sacramento Kings (Blue Diamond), Brooklyn Nets (Infor) and Houston Rockets (General Electric) were approached by the more presumed companies, the Jazz landed Qualtrics.

While the idea to have the 5 For The Fight logo on the jerseys was all that of Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith, it’s a testament to the Jazz as a franchise that they so often surround themselves with the right people.

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Who you surround yourself with is who you become.

If you go to the Google search engine and pair the name of any NBA team with the word “scandal” you get multiple hits. Sex scandals, locker-room fights, drawn guns, racism, failed drugs tests — almost every team in the NBA has some sort of scandal detrimental to the team in their history.

The Jazz on the other hand essentially come up clean. The only result is a singular story by the Daily Mail reporting an “Ex-Utah Jazz dancer admits having sex with a 17-year-old student.”

It’s a wonder that the Jazz continue to have a Google clean image in an age where those in the public eye have no secrets.

The Jazz are in a rough patch on the court, faltering at a time many fans expected them to make the leap into the Western Conference’s top four.

Despite the current three-game losing streak, fans can take solace in the fact they support a franchise that never wavers in what they do off the court.

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The front office looked for a jersey patch sponsor that spoke to its brand and values and it comes as no surprise they found one in their own backyard.

The partnership between the Utah Jazz and the Provo-based Qualtrics is the first of its kind which further sums up the franchise, their progressive ideas, and their squeaky clean image.

Monday night as the partnership was announced to those at Vivint Home Smart Arena, everyone in attendance was asked to stand if they have been affected by cancer in some way or another.

Every single person in the building rose to their feet. All 19,521 of them.

Cancer continues to find its way into everybody’s life and now the Jazz, together with Qualtrics and 5 For The Fight, are trying to find the cure.

Contributions can be made to the cause at 5forthefight.org.