the Utes name in sports." Pretty stupid and false concept. They are saying people attend Utah games or buy Utah gear because they associate with the tribe. Silly from the start.
If the U changed its mascot to something else — like the Utah Swoops or something else — attendance at their games would not drop at all and more people would buy their gear.
I won't click Tribune bait but I can tell how moronic the piece is by looking at the first sentence (and by knowing it is the Trib).