I'd almost make this a poll, but it's too interpretive. The base question in my mind: what's the next league/sport to hit Portland? Or even Oregon for that matter? Or what does Portland lose next?
There are things going on. There are some factors to consider.
HOCKEY: Seattle is supposedly a month away from making a decision on the future of Key Arena. Total and partial rebuilds are on the docket, and so is Chris Hansen's SoDo Arena proposal. Thing is, while Hansen characterizes his effort as generally "bringing the Sonics back," neither I nor the Seattle City Council are completely convinced he has any pull with the NBA. The NHL is supposedly sniffing around Key Arena if a renovation is substantial enough, but there's neighborhood pushback plus the sports radio fans hate the concept.
Why mention Seattle? That has a major effect on the next Portland decision. Would Paul Allen forestall the SoDo concept by helping bring NHL to Key... or even Portland? (There are some indications that, while Allen does NOT want to be seen as preventing the Sonics from returning- and I think he'd welcome a return- he'd like to gut the SoDo idea). If Seattle gets the NHL, would the Thunderbirds and/or Everett Silvertips survive? If the former is pushed out, that's 20% of the crowds in an average Portland Winterhawks season affected. So there's serious uncertainty at the moment (which, for the Winterhawks, would be at least the 3rd time that's happened).
BASKETBALL: I believe the current count is 26 D-League teams for this autumn. The league has grown mostly because NBA teams want a place to try out prospects, kind of halfway between the baseball development model and the soccer reserve model. A large portion of these new teams play within 50 miles of their parent teams. With 26 teams, almost all controlled by an NBA parent, the Blazers (who sold off the Idaho Stampede after a run of a few years) are running out of options to stow someone away that they like (even if Terry Stotts is supposedly cool to the concept). Portland? Salem? It won't be Seattle.
SOCCER: The Timbers development team Timbers2 (we call it T2) is playing at Providence Park this year after playing most of their games the previous few years at Merlo Field. The only real reason for playing at Providence is because Merlo doesn't seat 5,000 and that happens to be US Soccer regulations for a 2nd division franchise. It's not drawing very well, mostly because there's just not enough talent. Meanwhile, even though Sounders2 isn't lighting up Starfire Soccer Complex, the Sounders are partnering with the Tacoma Rainiers to build a new 5,000-seat soccer stadium in Tacoma. Now will that happen here? NO. If Boise gets a ballpark off the planning stages, they're actually planning a twist or two (nominal outfield seats, something you don't otherwise see in the Northwest League) to accommodate soccer, and I think it's a fair bet T2 ends up in Boise. What probably does happen is the announced USL offshoot league that will play at a 3rd division level will have a Timbers entrant... in Eugene, where the burned-down Civic Stadium is in process of replacement with a combination soccer stadium and youth sports complex. If Boise drops the ball, then something more curious might happen.
RUGBY: One American-based pro league started up last year with 5 teams and is on hiatus. A supposedly better-funded league is in the offing IF (1) US Rugby can get out of the contract with the first league, because the contract had some sort of limited exclusive rights to the country, and (2) the international "Pro12" league (kind of a "best of the rest of Europe" league) doesn't sap everything else by placing a team on the East Coast... or Houston... not to mention Toronto. Not sure that could happen in Portland, but it happened in Sacramento last year.
LACROSSE: Major League Lacrosse poked around Portland a couple years ago with a game in Hillsboro. That's really been the last of it... to this point.
BASEBALL... FOOTBALL... not really. The Portland Thund errrrrrr Steel died the death it was destined to die. Hillsboro Hops are a good going concern (and a pretty good on-field job as well) and aren't going to be easily nudged out in favor of another flimsy AAA proposal. No fledgling football league proposal can handle the insurance costs. So be it.
There are things going on. There are some factors to consider.
HOCKEY: Seattle is supposedly a month away from making a decision on the future of Key Arena. Total and partial rebuilds are on the docket, and so is Chris Hansen's SoDo Arena proposal. Thing is, while Hansen characterizes his effort as generally "bringing the Sonics back," neither I nor the Seattle City Council are completely convinced he has any pull with the NBA. The NHL is supposedly sniffing around Key Arena if a renovation is substantial enough, but there's neighborhood pushback plus the sports radio fans hate the concept.
Why mention Seattle? That has a major effect on the next Portland decision. Would Paul Allen forestall the SoDo concept by helping bring NHL to Key... or even Portland? (There are some indications that, while Allen does NOT want to be seen as preventing the Sonics from returning- and I think he'd welcome a return- he'd like to gut the SoDo idea). If Seattle gets the NHL, would the Thunderbirds and/or Everett Silvertips survive? If the former is pushed out, that's 20% of the crowds in an average Portland Winterhawks season affected. So there's serious uncertainty at the moment (which, for the Winterhawks, would be at least the 3rd time that's happened).
BASKETBALL: I believe the current count is 26 D-League teams for this autumn. The league has grown mostly because NBA teams want a place to try out prospects, kind of halfway between the baseball development model and the soccer reserve model. A large portion of these new teams play within 50 miles of their parent teams. With 26 teams, almost all controlled by an NBA parent, the Blazers (who sold off the Idaho Stampede after a run of a few years) are running out of options to stow someone away that they like (even if Terry Stotts is supposedly cool to the concept). Portland? Salem? It won't be Seattle.
SOCCER: The Timbers development team Timbers2 (we call it T2) is playing at Providence Park this year after playing most of their games the previous few years at Merlo Field. The only real reason for playing at Providence is because Merlo doesn't seat 5,000 and that happens to be US Soccer regulations for a 2nd division franchise. It's not drawing very well, mostly because there's just not enough talent. Meanwhile, even though Sounders2 isn't lighting up Starfire Soccer Complex, the Sounders are partnering with the Tacoma Rainiers to build a new 5,000-seat soccer stadium in Tacoma. Now will that happen here? NO. If Boise gets a ballpark off the planning stages, they're actually planning a twist or two (nominal outfield seats, something you don't otherwise see in the Northwest League) to accommodate soccer, and I think it's a fair bet T2 ends up in Boise. What probably does happen is the announced USL offshoot league that will play at a 3rd division level will have a Timbers entrant... in Eugene, where the burned-down Civic Stadium is in process of replacement with a combination soccer stadium and youth sports complex. If Boise drops the ball, then something more curious might happen.
RUGBY: One American-based pro league started up last year with 5 teams and is on hiatus. A supposedly better-funded league is in the offing IF (1) US Rugby can get out of the contract with the first league, because the contract had some sort of limited exclusive rights to the country, and (2) the international "Pro12" league (kind of a "best of the rest of Europe" league) doesn't sap everything else by placing a team on the East Coast... or Houston... not to mention Toronto. Not sure that could happen in Portland, but it happened in Sacramento last year.
LACROSSE: Major League Lacrosse poked around Portland a couple years ago with a game in Hillsboro. That's really been the last of it... to this point.
BASEBALL... FOOTBALL... not really. The Portland Thund errrrrrr Steel died the death it was destined to die. Hillsboro Hops are a good going concern (and a pretty good on-field job as well) and aren't going to be easily nudged out in favor of another flimsy AAA proposal. No fledgling football league proposal can handle the insurance costs. So be it.
