Does Portland favor its obscurity?

[BroadwayVik]

Is that why our Athletics leadership are so loath to advance programs where we would gain more national attention? Are they suppressed politically? Could this be the underlying psychological reason behind why a major U.S. city's public university is playing in the conference with teams from much smaller venues? Do Portlanders want to hide and be shielded from national attention? If we lived in Lexington, KY, for example, there'd be programs all around us. Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Memphis, etc. But here, who's near that we need to take account of them? Do Portlanders like that ... hiding in the shadows? That feeling of not really having to be accountable to most anyone or even much observable?

 

[Alan1]

Broadway, a little obscurity is a good thing. It can hold down the cost of housing. It can ease traffic congestion. It can protect small businesses. It can foster a sense of community. Seattle is a city that relishes its lack of obscurity. Been up there lately? It is just exactly what I hope Portland does not become.

 

[Pounder]

Except Portlandia.

It seems like Portland is headed there. Lot of friends feeling a bit smooshed by it at the moment.

But guess what? This lack of obscurity ended up having nothing to do with sports, didn't it.