Releasing ‘The RSL Way’ Welcomes Added Pressure To An Already Oppressed Club

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The RSL Way has been released by Real Salt Lake, a document designed to integrate the clubs various departments with the greater Utah community through inclusion and respect.

Assistant General Manager Tony Beltran is responsible for the publication, however, he was assisted by other members of the club including General Manager Elliot Fall and Executive VP of Soccer Operations Rob Zarkos.

Our club does not belong to any one individual.

Our badge, shield & colors reside with the supporters & community it represents. 

Every player, coach & staff member is expected to uphold & be held accountable to the values & beliefs of the following document.

The RSL Way.

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) January 18, 2021

Utah History

The handbook begins with a brief history lesson dissecting various chapters of Utah’s existence. This section in particular is the most important chapter of the handbook, the one that Beltran himself would recommend the viewers read if they were to read only one chapter.

“As I was researching the history of the land here, thinking about how it relates to the origin of the team, and then when the team was successful, during the championship period, I started to realize that even that group, all of those kind of adopted sons of Utah, who came together and played on that team felt the same way,” Beltran told KSL Sports. “We had a chip on our shoulder in the same way that most of the residents of our community do. That’s a big theme. Pride is a big theme of this document.”

The document dissects the days when the Shoshonean speaking tribes; predominantly made up of the Ute, Paiutes and Shoshones tribes, scoured the dry Utah landscape as a means of living.

The chapter continues with the arrival of the Mormon settlers into the progressive 20th century and finally into the present.

Utah’s history is a direct representation of what RSL hopes to constitute, regardless of how challenging or difficult that may be.

Nonetheless, for RSL to represent the state with compassion, a basic understanding of history is required.

Club Philosophy

The historical narrative continues into the club philosophy as directed in the handbook.

“Real Salt Lake is determined to lead and inspire Utah culture by bridging the community through sport. This is reflected through a commitment to the core values of the people of Utah; those of resolute industry, community and pride for the state. It is the duty of Real Salt Lake to forever champion this industrious resolve as the embodiment of these core values,” the statement reads.

Core Values

This section is very important as in this chapter of the handbook, the club details specific values in which they will strive to represent.

Pride, integrity, harmony, resolute industry and community are all detailed on page 15.

Beltran went into further detail on The RSL Show, dissecting every value the club acknowledges.

“The summation for that (pride) is the duty to champion and to defend the idea of the state and the club,” Beltran said. “Community is a big one because we as an organization as a sports enterprise in Utah, I think it is lost a lot in pro sports these days, that there is a responsibility of these franchises, of these organizations, that people look up to, to conduct themselves in a respectable manner because people really do care,” Beltran added.

“Harmony bleeds into that harmonious aspect. One that is very much related to the settlers, the original pioneers of Utah that through there harmonious nature allowed the dessert to bloom into the rose, the harmonious rose that it is today.”

Every value stated has a direct correlation to the community of Utah.

“Integrity ties back into everything that I have spoken about, being a representative of the community and our people internally as well. It is important for us ethically to hold ourselves to a certain caliber,” Beltran concluded.

The dark night is darkest just before the dawn.

Greener pastures and brighter days (hopefully) await as @realsaltlake focuses its attention on maturation. https://t.co/uJKcTmVYSz

— Tom Hackett (@TomCantHackett) January 18, 2021

Code Of Ethics

The Code of Ethics is a extensive. It covers a multitude of subjects ranging from discrimination and harassment to work life balance.

“There are so many people here that are so happy to willingly pour everything they have into the job because that’s why you’re in sports,” Beltran stated. “Because you believe in the magic, you can feel the magic. Life is about work life balance.”

Furthermore, the Code of Ethics chapter is important for fans and employees to know. It is a dumbed down template on how to live a life in a respectable and loving manner.

RSL Player & Employee Creed

“As a RSL director, coach, player or employee it is my duty to continually strive for the best representation of myself, my teammates, coworkers and my community, both on the field and off. I pursue this metric through the characteristics that embody all in the organization: pride, community, resolute industry, harmony and integrity.”

By signing a contract with RSL, regardless of your position, you are entitled to comply with the the creed stated above. The club states that “any action in contrary to the aforementioned will be taken as a direct affront to club’s Cultural values, ethics and identity.”

The RSL Way

In conclusion, the handbook concludes with a paragraph summarizing The RSL Way.

“While the preceding information was designed to give clarity on the Club’s cultural identity and values, the following pages will depict the Club’s philosophies and operational principles as it relates to the game of soccer. The Club acknowledges that with the passage of time, the progression of the sport, and the change of personnel, there will be an inevitable evolution of both operational and tactical nuance. However, certain broad philosophies of the Club are meant to endure. The following on field and off field philosophies are written as these enduring models and are to be followed in perpetuity as the Club pursues its footballing aspirations.”

Recent scandals and poor performance acted as the inspiration behind the document. However, as the search for a new owner continues, the hope and aspiration of the club grows. Time has proven to heal wounds and RSL will be eager to mend and bandage the pain and agony in which it has endured as of late.

Nonetheless, The RSL Way will hold the club to a higher standard. The public release of the handbook now adds a certain element of pressure for the club to uphold the values described above. RSL, through a better understanding of Utah’s history, will attempt to resonate and attract the local communities of the Beehive State.