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PhillyPDX Aug 8, 2024 8:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maccoinnich (Post 10261654)
...continues at KOIN.

“Parcel of land located within the Moda Center”? :shrug:

What is the back story, why would Allen sell it? Almost seems like a way to make it easier to sell the franchise (to a different city?).

maccoinnich Aug 8, 2024 9:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX (Post 10261700)
“Parcel of land located within the Moda Center”? :shrug:

What is the back story, why would Allen sell it? Almost seems like a way to make it easier to sell the franchise (to a different city?).

I can't link directly, but if you go to Portland Maps aerial imagery zoom in on the Moda center and turn back to 1990, you can see that most of the land the Moda center was built on was surface parking lots for VMC that were owned by the city. Before it was realigned, N Williams used to run directly south from Ramsay Way. The parcel now being sold to the city looks to have been a warehouse, east of the old N Williams alignment.

Placing it all in public ownership allows for a property tax exemption.

PhillyPDX Aug 9, 2024 2:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maccoinnich (Post 10261731)
I can't link directly, but if you go to Portland Maps aerial imagery zoom in on the Moda center and turn back to 1990, you can see that most of the land the Moda center was built on was surface parking lots for VMC that were owned by the city. Before it was realigned, N Williams used to run directly south from Ramsay Way. The parcel now being sold to the city looks to have been a warehouse, east of the old N Williams alignment.

Placing it all in public ownership allows for a property tax exemption.

Seems like other teams would do the same thing but my understanding is most pro sports stadiums/arenas are privately owned. It's the sweet spot, publicly financed, privately owned, owner reaps benefits for all events (not just their team; concerts, etc). And as for tax exempt, lots of owners don't even pay that. I recall stories that the Eagles in Philly owed the city tens of millions of back property taxes but they never collect because the owner would just threaten to leave town.

So then I guess, why here? Why now? If Allen sells Moda, they get nothing for non-Blazers activities, correct? Doesn't seems to make sense to save a little property tax money, if they even pay it. Especially when any renovation costs could likely be extorted from the public.

maccoinnich Sep 3, 2024 6:13 PM

Quote:

Sources: Bhathal Family Lands Portland WNBA Expansion Team
The family, which owns the NWSL's Portland Thorns, will announce on Sept. 10 that women's professional basketball is returning to Portland in 2026.

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/...1de45b9b5.heic

The second time looks to be the charm for the effort to bring women’s professional basketball back to Portland.

After a previously planned WNBA expansion team fell through just before the finish line last fall, Portland is closing in on finally landing a team that will begin playing in 2026, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the plans. The Bhathal family, owners of the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, will lead the ownership group for the new team, sources say.

An official announcement from the Bhathals and the WNBA is expected on Sept. 10, sources say, with the team’s name and logo to be unveiled at a later date. It is unknown at this point whether they plan to revive Portland’s previous short-lived WNBA franchise, the Fire, which folded in 2002, or go with a different name.

...continues at Rose Garden Report.

maccoinnich Sep 3, 2024 6:16 PM

Also: last week's Planning Commission meeting includes a sneak peak at what the Moda Center's new signage and displays might look like. Staff presentation starts about 11 minutes in and the RIP City Management presentation starts about 26 minutes in:

Video Link

maccoinnich Sep 18, 2024 6:31 PM

Seasons tickets now available at https://www.wnba.com/portland

Quote:

WNBA reveals plan to bring pro women's basketball back to Portland

https://media.bizj.us/view/img/12736...ormance-25.jpg

The WNBA will bring a professional women's basketball team to Portland in 2026.

The league announced its 15th team and its third recent expansion team Wednesday morning. The new team will play in Moda Center and will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, which owns the Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League.

"As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward," Women's National Basketball League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in the league's announcement. "Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans."

The expansion brings the WNBA back to Portland more than 20 years after the city's last team failed. The Portland Fire played three seasons from 2000 to 2002.

Portland missed out on the league's last expansion round, when it added teams in San Francisco and Toronto. Negotiations with a prospective owner fell apart last November in part because of concerns over a playing venue.

...continues at the Portland Business Journal ($).

maccoinnich Sep 19, 2024 4:04 PM

Quote:

The WNBA returns to Portland, billed as a ‘global epicenter’ for women’s sports

https://www.oregonlive.com/resizer/v...500&quality=90

Ron Wyden’s voice boomed through Moda Center. The slender, 75-year-old U.S. senator could have been mistaken for an in-game host wearing a backwards hat and firing a T-shirt cannon.

“I’m not a gambler, but I know it’s a sure bet that Portland is going to be a slam-dunk success in the WNBA,” Wyden said. “I flew home from D.C. yesterday, but I’m not sure I needed a plane because I probably could have made it on my own power.”

Wyden was emblematic of the energy in the building: The WNBA is coming back to Portland. The league announced on Wednesday it is awarding its 15th franchise to the Rose City to start play in 2026, gathering influential figures from local sports teams; city, state and national politics; and sports business into a dimly lit Moda Center for a celebratory press conference.

...continues at the Oregonian.

2oh1 Sep 20, 2024 5:33 AM

On Facebook, there was a post about suggestions for a name for the team.

One suggestion was "The Portland Swifts."

I doubt that's what the name will be, but I thought it was a great idea.


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