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Portland Offers Blazers a Fully-Funded Arena Renovation, But Will It Be Enough?

In 8-4 vote, City Council sends proposed Moda Center lease terms to Trail Blazers with nearly $400M commitment from city over 20 years
Avatar photoAvatar photo by Courtney Vaughn and Jeremiah Hayden

Updated: 3:20 pm August 14 Amid raucous calls from protesters not to spend millions renovating the Moda Center, Portland City Council approved a lease term sheet to send to the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday, August 12. The city is in the process of negotiating a 20-year lease agreement with the Blazers for the team’s use […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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City Sends First Draft Moda Lease Terms To Blazers, To Surprise of Council

Some councilors are frustrated over a process they say has excluded them and backed the city into a financial corner that weakens negotiating power.
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

Updated: 4:48 pm July 17 The city of Portland delivered the first draft of a term sheet to the Trail Blazers management on Thursday, July 16, setting the city one step closer to a long-term lease agreement with the team for the Moda Center. No terms have been finalized, and the Council is in disagreement […]

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World Cup Diary: Week 5

Who’s up, who’s down, and the final reckoning.
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

It’s been a theme throughout this remarkable World Cup of 2026: football rewards bravery. Play with ambition, send players forward, try to score goals, and more often than not, you are rewarded. When England took the lead over Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, they appeared set for their first World Cup final since 1966. […]

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En Garde: Fencing Competitors from Around the Country Descend on Portland

At the Oregon Convention Center, roughly 6,000 competitors tested their swordfighting skills.
Avatar photo by Corbin Smith

If you were strolling near the Oregon Convention Center around the first week of July, you may have seen people clad in athletic gear walking around with very tall, narrow bags. Their hoodies were emblazoned with a sword, and maybe the name of some obscure North American city. Inside the bags were full cover face […]

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World Cup Diary: Week 4

Who’s up, who’s down, and who’s going to win this thing?
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

The early days of a World Cup are often its happiest: teams and fans assemble and arrive in the host countries fresh-faced and full of hope, and play a group stage that includes second and third chances, opportunities to refine and redeem imperfect earlier performances.  It is, for a while, a great big party. And […]

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Moneyball: The Moda Center Controversy Explained

The city of Portland now owns the Moda Center, making us the Blazers’ landlord. With renovations needed and a cheapskate team owner, city officials must calculate the cost of civic pride.
Avatar photo by Courtney Vaughn

The Portland Trail Blazers fought their way to the 2026 NBA playoffs, but now, their toughest opponents may be in City Hall.  The team’s majority owner, Tom Dundon, is trying to iron out a deal with the city for a major, state-of-the-art renovation of the Moda Center that could cost more than $600 million. Recently […]

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World Cup Diary: Week 3

Who’s up, who’s down, and (according to the U.S. team) who needs 11 players?
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

Paraguay, in footballing terms, is a small, often overlooked country. Landlocked, bordered by much more famous neighbors, the Paraguayans had, prior to this week, only ever won a single knockout round game at the World Cup—against Japan, a team that has never won a knockout game in its history.  The ethos of the Paraguayan national […]

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World Cup Diary: Week Two

Who’s up, who’s down, and who’s falling in love all over again.
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

Two decades ago, when their nation hosted the World Cup, Germans enjoyed what they still call the sommermärchen: the summer fairytale, when the country fell back in love with its national soccer team as it embarked on a stirring run to the World Cup semifinal.  The sommermärchen felt relevant last Friday in Seattle, when, on […]

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World Cup Diary: Week One

Who’s up, who’s down, and what does the Pope think about all this?
Avatar photo by Abe Asher

The day before the World Cup kicked off in Mexico City, Pope Leo took to social media to weigh in on the tournament and the nature of life itself.  “The World Cup begins tomorrow, and many will watch the matches,” he wrote. “Soccer reminds us of something we must not forget: life is not a […]

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Where to Eat and Drink Around Portland for the FIFA World Cup

From watch parties to trying cuisines from competing countries, here’s where to celebrate football’s biggest tournament.
Avatar photo by Zoe Baillargeon

It’s officially soccer season in North America, as the FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 11 for a month of highly anticipated matches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. And what better place to celebrate this once-in-every-four-years event than Portland, AKA Soccer City? Even for those who aren’t big soccer fans, it’s hard […]

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