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Stephanie Kaloi
Posted inSports

Portland Fire Fans Say Moda Center Kicked Them Out For Anti-Transphobia Shirt

A July 31 match against Indiana Fever sparked a pre-game rally with protesters. Ticket holders say venue security asked them to leave for refusing to change shirts.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The Portland Fire’s July 31 game against the Indiana Fever was already couched in controversy before it even began. In the week or so before the game, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham gained national attention for transphobic comments she made during an interview with ESPN.  When asked about the nickname “MAGA Barbie” given to her […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

Will the Portland Fire Have Time to Turn Their Season Around?

Bridget Carleton thinks the team’s turnover problem is “solveable,” and Emily Engstler says the team needs to “come together.”
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The last time the Portland Fire won a game was July 16, when the team bested the Washington Mystics 75-56. Since then, they’ve lost to the Minnesota Lynx (101-93 on July 18), Dallas Wings (101-97 on July 22), Las Vegas Aces (98-83 on July 28), Indiana Fever (112-98 on July 31), and Los Angeles Sparks […]

Posted inSports

A New AI Partnership Has Local Women’s Sports Fans Fuming

Portland Fire and Thorns owners are trying to convince fans that partnering with Treasure AI reflects the city’s values.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

Portlanders love their pro women’s sports teams. The Thorns have enjoyed tremendous support since they began playing in 2013, and the Fire has hosted multiple sold-out games at the Moda Center this year—the team’s first season.  Portland fans expect a kind of loyalty in return, and when they don’t like a decision a team is […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

Portland Fire Fans Call for a Statement from the Team Ahead of Game Against Indiana Fever

In response to transphobic remarks from Indiana’s “MAGA Barbie,” Fire fans want the team to stand up for the city’s culture.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The Indiana Fever are coming back into town to play the Fire, and this time things are poised to be very different. Fans may recall the Fire soundly defeated the Fever, 100-84, when they hosted Indiana at the Moda Center on May 31. That game saw a rare, poor performance from Fever guard Caitlin Clark, […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

The Aces Expose the Fire’s Weaknesses in an 88-80 Loss for Portland

But halfway through the season, there’s still time to fix things.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The Portland Fire’s 88-80 loss to the Las Vegas Aces wasn’t a fun one. And, I know: what loss really is? But this week’s game offered a look at one of the Fire’s most consistent performance issues: their turnover rate is one of the highest in the league, and it’s costing them crucial points and […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

The Portland Fire Loses to the Mystics—But In Style

The Fire’s grit and determination made for a history-making game.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The moids may have convinced you that the only WNBA story worth paying attention to this week involved the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, AKA MAGA Barbie, and the Phoenix Mercury’s DeWanna Bonner. Happily, there’s been a lot more going on: Last night the Portland Fire treated the rest of the league to a historic match […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

Bridget Carleton and Carla Leite Help Portland Fire Dodge the Storm

A record seven three-pointers powered Portland to a 94-89 home win over Seattle.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

Last night the Fire hosted the Seattle Storm as part of the first installment in a four-game rivalry series that will see both teams traversing the 175 miles that separate them. Portland, who entered into the series with a 5-4 historic record from the 2000-2002 seasons, pulled out a 94-89 victory last night, thus sparing […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

Portland Fire Clips Dallas Wings; Snaps a Four-Loss Streak

The team now prepares to revive an ancient rivalry with the Seattle Storm.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The Portland Fire came roaring back in front of 14,612 fans Saturday night with a satisfying, if not gritty and hard-fought, 84-83 win over the Dallas Wings. The victory put a pin in a grueling four-game losing streak that started when the Golden State Valkyries trounced the Fire 95-77 on June 2, and ended when […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

The Portland Fire Wants to Annoy the Rest of the WNBA

Can Coach Sarama’s “Constraints-Led Approach” theory eventually lead the Fire to victory?
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

At halftime, during the team’s May 30th win against the Indiana Fever, the Portland Fire were up by 13 points. That’s when a fan in the crowd turned to this Mercury reporter and asked, “It almost like the Fire’s just doing whatever they want—and it’s working. Is that on purpose?” The short answer is yes… […]

Posted inThe Portland Fire

Portland Fire Soundly Defeats Indiana Fever; Goes Two-for-Three in Home Series

After stumbling against the Atlanta Dream, the Fire came roaring back against Caitlin Clark’s Fever.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The Portland Fire rounded out a series of three home games with a 100-84 win over the Indiana Fever Saturday, firmly shutting down the doubts of naysayers (at home and elsewhere). With all the attention the Fever has received, it’s the kind of win that establishes a team has arrived. Head coach Alex Sarama acknowledged […]

Posted inSports

Portland’s Newest Women’s Sports Team, the Cherry Bombs, Win First Match

Getting support from a sold-out crowd, tattoo artists, and an opera company didn’t hurt.
Avatar photo by Stephanie Kaloi

The mood was jovial at Southeast Portland’s Lents Field on Sunday, where a sold out crowd of 2,007 people assembled to watch the Portland Cherry Bombs—the USL W team that also represents the city’s latest foray into women’s sports—win their inaugural soccer match against the Drip FC, 4-0. Despite the more casual nature of Lents […]

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