{"id":346867,"date":"2025-12-15T14:28:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/346867\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T14:28:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:28:14","slug":"oregons-economy-is-struggling-but-its-womens-sports-industry-could-be-a-lifeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/346867\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon\u2019s economy is struggling, but its women\u2019s sports industry could be a lifeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The Portland Thorns take on San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL quarterfinals in front of 21,000 fans at Providence Park on Nov. 9th in Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n

Kyra Buckley \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Months before Oregonians learned that professional women\u2019s basketball would be returning to Portland, seven-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike made a prediction. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really very grateful for a city like Portland,\u201d the Seattle Storm center told OPB<\/a> in March 2024. \u201cIt deserves a team. I expect a team here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ogwumike, sitting alongside six-time Olympic Gold Medalist Diana Tarausi, spoke to OPB during a watch party for the 2024 women\u2019s NCAA tournament in Portland<\/a>. The event was hosted in part by Portland\u2019s famous women\u2019s sports bar, The Sports Bra. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel like Portland, everyone in Portland, they are a ride or die,\u201d Ogwumike, also a former MVP and Rookie of the Year, said. \u201cI mean, they follow sports like there is a team here, and we need that in more places. We really, really do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taurasi agreed. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing that I\u2019ve noticed in the Northwest,\u201d the WNBA\u2019s all-time leading scorer<\/a> said, \u201cBasketball is in their blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ogwumike and Taurasi predicted that Portland\u2019s grassroots support for women\u2019s sports \u2013 including at the high school and college levels \u2013 would convince an investor to bring a WNBA team to the Rose City. <\/p>\n

It would take less than a year for that prophecy to come true. <\/p>\n

\"WNBA<\/p>\n

WNBA greats Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury at the Sweet 16 watch party at Spirit of 77 on Mar. 29, 2024, in Portland, Ore. The Sports Bra, media company TOGETHXR and Aflac Insurance sponsored the party.<\/p>\n

Kyra Buckley \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Enter the Bhathal siblings, Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. <\/p>\n

Through their investment firm, Raj Sports, the sister and brother have cemented their position as the lead investors in women\u2019s sports in Portland. The pair bought Oregon\u2019s NWSL team, the Portland Thorns<\/a>, in January 2024. <\/p>\n

Later that year, the Bhathals joined WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to announce that a WNBA expansion team would begin play in Portland in the 2026 season. <\/p>\n

Oregon\u2019s historic support for women athletes, paired with the growing cultural significance of the WNBA and NWSL, is colliding during a time when Portland leaders are desperate for an economic win. <\/p>\n

The ongoing success of the Thorns and the excitement around the WNBA team, dubbed the Portland Fire, comes as the city struggles to define itself economically following the pandemic. The Bhathals are betting that women\u2019s sports will continue to boom. <\/p>\n

Women\u2019s sports could become a crucial piece of the city\u2019s reckoning with a post-pandemic economy. Still, both Portland and the women\u2019s sports industry are experiencing very public growing pains. <\/p>\n

Barriers to growing the game<\/p>\n

Business activity around women\u2019s sports is skyrocketing. <\/p>\n

Professional leagues are expanding as attendance and viewership numbers hit new records. <\/p>\n

In the last two years, revenue from women\u2019s sports grew more than four times faster<\/a> than revenue from men\u2019s sports, according to research from consulting firm McKinsey & Company. The researchers predict that if barriers \u2013 such as access to viewing games on TV \u2013 continue to fall, women\u2019s sports could create billions of dollars in value for rights holders. <\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, Chief Green, age 7, and Earl McCarthy, age 10, shoot basketballs at the launch party for the Fire, Portland\u2019s new WNBA team, at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., July 15, 2025. <\/p>\n

Anna Lueck for OPB \/ OPB<\/p>\n

But women\u2019s sports still get a fraction of the investment and media attention as men\u2019s sports overall. <\/p>\n

On the college side, football and, to a lesser extent, men\u2019s basketball<\/a> help finance entire athletic departments. For example, at the University of Oregon in 2023, the athletic department brought in $150 million. Of that, nearly $80 million was from football. <\/p>\n

Additionally, upcoming changes in how schools compensate college athletes could lead to cuts in women\u2019s programs. Oregon\u2019s big sports programs likely would preserve women\u2019s teams, but the competition could dwindle. <\/p>\n

In the professional leagues, men\u2019s teams are often valued at more than $1 billion. The Portland Trail Blazers recently sold for around $4 billion<\/a>. Women\u2019s teams are still in the millions to $400 million range.<\/a> <\/p>\n

And most recently, revenue-sharing models in professional women\u2019s leagues have led to contentious contract negotiations between players and team owners. That\u2019s especially true in the WNBA, which is supposed to have a new contract in place before the season starts in May.<\/p>\n

\"Thea<\/p>\n

Thea Owens uses a heat press machine to add the Portland Fire logo to a t-shirt at the launch party for the Fire, Portland\u2019s new WNBA team, at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., July 15, 2025. <\/p>\n

Anna Lueck for OPB \/ OPB<\/p>\n

More than a \u2018honeymoon\u2019<\/p>\n

The sun streamed down on Providence Park on Nov. 9th as more than 21,000 soccer fans flocked to the arena. <\/p>\n

It was an unexpectedly warm fall day in Portland as the Thorns took on San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL quarterfinals. <\/p>\n

The crowd erupted in cheers as the starting lineup took the field. The loudest ovation greeted Olivia Moultrie, who entered the league at age 15, making her the youngest player at the time to do so. <\/p>\n

The Thorns would go on to defeat San Diego, but would end their season with a loss in the semifinals. The team would soon celebrate a different victory by signing<\/a> the now 20-year-old Moultrie for at least the next few seasons. <\/p>\n

\u201cLooking towards the future, I feel like Portland gives me the opportunity to continue to grow into the player that I want to be long term,\u201d Moultrie said in November when she announced her multi-year contract extension. \u201cI feel like we are just set up in a place that, obviously, the city and the culture here it revolves around soccer.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Fans<\/p>\n

Fans cheer as the Portland Thorns take on San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL quarterfinals in front of 21,000 fans at Providence Park on Nov. 9th in Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n

Kyra Buckley \/ OPB<\/p>\n

The Portland Thorns are often pointed to as an example of the state\u2019s support of women athletes, according to Alexis Lee, president of business operations for the Thorns. <\/p>\n

Yet, it hasn\u2019t been a smooth path forward. In 2022, theformer owner of the Thorns relinquished the team under intense pressure <\/a>following player allegations of abusive coaching throughout the league, including by a former coach of the Thorns. <\/p>\n

Two Thorns executives were dismissed after an investigation found systemic misconduct in the NWSL. <\/p>\n

The Thorns have since cleaned house, with new coaches and executives, including Lee, who arrived after the Bhathals took over. Lee says that throughout the ups and downs, Portlanders continue to support women athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey really show up for their sports, and then they really show up for women\u2019s sports,\u201d Lee, who was born and raised in Eugene and worked for the Trail Blazers for nearly a decade, said. \u201cAnd if you look back at the history of the Thorns in particular, over the last 13 years, we\u2019ve had record-breaking numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Portland consulting firm EcoNorthwest studied economic activity generated by Providence Park, where the Thorns and the men\u2019s professional soccer team, the Timbers, play. Researchers estimate that in the year spanning Oct. 2023 to Sept. 2024, events at Providence Park generated around $34 million<\/a> in spending at businesses around the arena. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a welcome, if muted, bump in economic activity in neighborhoods like the Pearl District and Goose Hollow. But it\u2019s consistent \u2013 Thorns games averaged more than 18,000 attendees last season. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe punch way above our weight, and we consistently do it,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a flash in the pan, and there\u2019s not a honeymoon period. We\u2019re here to stay, and the community supports it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the basketball side, the Portland Fire are already seeing fans putting money behind their support for a professional women\u2019s team returning to the Moda Center. <\/p>\n

By late October, the team announced it had received more than 15,000 season ticket deposits<\/a>, with the team\u2019s inaugural season still several months away. <\/p>\n

Turning grassroots support into economic success<\/p>\n

In July, leaders from across the women\u2019s sports industry \u2013 including University of South Carolina women\u2019s basketball head coach Dawn Staley, who has led the Gamecocks to three national titles \u2013 gathered at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton. The event, hosted by Nike and Raj Sports, was called \u201cThe Epicenter: Women\u2019s Sports Summit Leadership Conference.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Karina LeBlanc, former Thorns player and current executive for Raj Sports, told the room they were branding Portland \u201cthe Global Epicenter of Women\u2019s Sports.\u201d <\/p>\n

LeBlanc also launched a podcast with the same title. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe just saw [the summit] as an opportunity to make sure the world knew what we were doing,\u201d LeBlanc told OPB. \u201cTo make the stamp of it, so that people understood \u2013 because while you have that limelight, while you have the platform, you have to make sure the world is understanding how great the city is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, Vice President of Portland Fire Ashley Battle and Karina LeBlanc, who helps support strategic growth development for the team, attend a press conference for the Portland Fire WNBA team at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. LeBlanc is the former coach of the Portland Thorns and attended the conference introducing the team’s new head coach Alex Sarama.<\/p>\n

Saskia Hatvany \/ OPB<\/p>\n

LeBlanc said the support for women athletes already exists in Oregon, rooted in the tradition of supporting high school and college programs alongside the high attendance at professional events. <\/p>\n

LeBlanc points to her time as a player, where she often recounts walking onto the field in 2013 as the crowd at Providence Park cheered wildly. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the foundation, the grassroots excitement and support that LeBlanc is feeding off of in her new role. Her job is to use the platform of two professional teams to elevate that message and show the world that Portland shows up for women, she said. <\/p>\n

She hopes it will create a cascading effect of sports positively influencing both the state\u2019s culture and economy. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m actually excited about our next generation, because our next generation is gonna be inclusive because of what we\u2019re building in Portland,\u201d LeBlanc said. \u201cThey\u2019re not just gonna think that sports are just for women, they\u2019re gonna think sports are for all. And when you have the opportunity to feel that energy and see these athletes do it, that next generation starts to replicate what they see.\u201d<\/p>\n

LeBlanc acknowledges that the challenges are real. <\/p>\n

Professional women\u2019s sports are still a relatively young industry, with the difficulty of growing revenue while supporting athletes. <\/p>\n

Also, women\u2019s sporting events may attract more fans from the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized communities that are looking for a safe and inclusive environment. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor so long, it\u2019s been like copy and repeat on the men\u2019s side,\u201d LeBlanc said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve figured out that we have to do things differently \u2013 and it\u2019s not that we always get it right, but we\u2019re always trying to reinvent that wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The potential catalyst for a decade of economic growth<\/p>\n

Some of Oregon\u2019s most prominent political and business leaders see the success of women\u2019s sports as a symbol with the power to encourage the state\u2019s economic recovery. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think the potential for women\u2019s sports in Oregon is huge,\u201d U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR, said earlier this month. \u201cMy sense is in the summer of \u201826, we\u2019re going to see folks in Oregon walk down Broadway on Saturday, and they may go to a basketball game, and then do it again on Sunday and go to a soccer game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The senior senator said Oregon has already realized some of its opportunities within sports, pointing to athletic wear companies like Nike, Adidas and others that have a large presence in the state. <\/p>\n

\"Portland<\/p>\n

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson speaks at the Oregon Leadership Summit at the Convention Center in Portland on Dec. 8, 2025.<\/p>\n

Kyra Buckley \/ OPB<\/p>\n

In early December, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson told a room full of business and political leaders at the Oregon Leadership Summit that sports will be part of elevating Portland\u2019s livability. <\/p>\n

Wilson also acknowledged that the city has steep challenges, namely a persistent and worsening homelessness crisis. <\/p>\n

\u201cRestoring livability by taking responsibility for our most vulnerable isn\u2019t just compassion, it\u2019s also the key to unlocking Portland\u2019s stifled prosperity,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cHowever, we\u2019re all aware that unsheltered homelessness isn\u2019t the only issue that we\u2019re facing. We have national economic headwinds, federal chaos, tariffs and high interest rates.\u201d <\/p>\n

Unemployment in the state is outpacing the national average. <\/p>\n

Employers have shed 25,000 jobs over the last year. The price of rent, utilities and groceries is going up. Wyden, Wilson and other leaders consider it a crossroads where Oregon must look at both how it got here and how it wants to chart the path forward. <\/p>\n

Wilson said that the slow post-pandemic recovery has damaged Portland\u2019s reputation, economy and harmed \u201cour hearts.\u201d <\/p>\n

But nearing the end of his first year in office, Wilson argued that Portland has the foundation to turn challenges into a decade of prosperity. <\/p>\n

\"One<\/p>\n

One of the newly unveiled logos for the Portland Fire at the team\u2019s launch party, Portland, Ore., July 15, 2025. <\/p>\n

Anna Lueck for OPB \/ OPB<\/p>\n

The growth of women\u2019s sports may have a modest impact on the economy, but leaders say the popularity of the soccer and basketball clubs are symbolically winning on behalf of the city and state. <\/p>\n

Raj Sports has chosen to invest in two professional teams and is building a state-of-the-art training facility, despite Portland\u2019s challenges recovering from the pandemic. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already sparked our renaissance,\u201d Wilson said at the Oregon Leadership Summit.<\/p>\n

And although he was speaking on economic revival, he inadvertently invoked the name of the city\u2019s nascent basketball team and nodded to its possible future as a leader of women\u2019s sports. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow, all we have to do is turn that spark into a fire.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Portland Thorns take on San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL quarterfinals in front of 21,000 fans…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":346868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,151108,82,630],"class_list":["post-346867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-oregon-economy-economics-sports-soccer-basketball-women-portland-thorns","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}