Portland: Forget Major League Baseball, We’re A Soccer Town
We are a bunch of older than we think we are parents who love to play the game of soccer. We play most weekends in a league at Portland Indoor. Our kids have known each other since kindergarten. And for the past few years, this coed soccer league has been my most consistent entertainment. I love it. For me, it’s no different than little league games or middle school football games that I played as a youth. After every game, I think about the big plays, the missed shots, the talk after the game. I sketch out plays and miss each week when we don’t have a match. I yell loudly from the bench to help my players get a sense of the field.
And what a town to play the game. There are men’s leagues, women’s leagues and coed leagues, each with several different levels of competition. Potrland is a soccer town.
And that’s what gets me about this continual nonsense to get a major league baseball team to play here. I am a life time baseball fan, engrossed in the game since my Dad took me to Wrigley Field to watch Ernie Banks play for the Cubs and later to the old Yankee Stadium in New York. I idolized Thurman Munson as a kid and all the great Yankees of the late 1970s: Mickey Rivers, Lou Pinella, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jaclson and Bucky Dent. Hey Bosox fans out there — remember Bucky Dent? “Deep to left! Yastrzemski will not get it — it’s a home run! A three-run home run for Bucky Dent and the Yankees now lead it by a score of three to two!”
But I don’t want baseball here. It doesn’t fit. People play soccer here. Yes, they play baseball, too. But many more play soccer.
I mean, wouldn’t we be better off with a Timbers team that played at he highest level of championship play? How about the Pilots? The women’s team are national champions. The Pilots have a huge fan base, arguably of deeper quality than the Triple A Beavers, our minor league baseball team.
I think of this sometimes after an indoor soccer game. I think of all these men and women who are such good players. They have played since they were kids. And now their kids are playing, too. They already go to a lot of soccer games. They are a fan base. They love the game. And they support the sport.
Can you say the same thing about baseball in Portland?
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i totally agree, portland is truly a soccer town, from little kids to older adults. we’re also a vibrant cycling town - not just commuters, but bike racers and ciclocross.
i also think there is an undercurrent of NASCAR fans. it would make sense since NASCAR is pervasive accross all demographics. instead of baseball, let’s get a NASCAR track. that a sport that runs for 10 months. i think NASCAR could generate more money in a weekend than the convention center hotel (proposed) would make all year.
my name is jo, and i agree with the above comments, excluding the one dirextly above, though i’m tempted.
Anyway, I think soccer is biggest, and i know much of my local friends are looking forward to the soccer world cup in 2006.
The U.S has been put into a group with Italy and Ghana. We should beat Ghana, but we may struggle with Italy, they are a favourite.
I personally think Brazil, Argentine, England or Italy will win. Who do you think will win?
I met David Beckham at an England Vs Portugal match when i asked for his autograph, and he said that he was expecting England to win, do you agree?
What eleven people work on this blog? Doesn’t any one of them pay attention to the comments?
(We’ve got a filter here, but occasionally stuff gets through. Each author gets email notifications about comments to their posts; they’re the first line of defense. I’m the second - I come through at least once a day to catch anything that’s gotten through. But alas - all eleven of us have hectic lives and/or aren’t always watching this 24/7 to fight the evil menace that is spam…)
The NASCAR train’s already passed, Dieselboi. NASCAR was actively looking for a new Northwest venue; Oregon was considered, but an area close to Seattle was selected instead. Getting NASCAR is a big deal, and you need to be able to provide nearby airport access, highway access, etc. etc. etc. to accomodate the expected crowds/travel.
does anyone no when the f1 championship starts next year?
Given the number of transplants who have moved to Portland from MLB cities, I think a major league team probably would thrive here. Many Portland natives likely would switch their allegiance from the Mariners to the city’s new team. Portland regularly has some of the highest TV ratings for the MLB playoffs among cities without a major league team.
To say this a soccer town based on the lack of popularity of the Portland Beavers is kind of ridiculous. Transplants from San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. aren’t remotely interested in AAA baseball. Plus, many people who live here are frankly tired of minor league sports. We’re by far the largest city in the United States with only one major league level sports franchise (if the Blazers even count).
What kind of franchise better raises the profile and attractiveness of a city to tourists and Fortune 500 companies, an MLS team or an MLB team? Of course this might be the heart of the issue; Portlanders might not want to deal with additional tourists, more transplants and more corporate power moving into this area.
WIth a higher profile comes greater congestion, a higher cost of living, pollution, etc., reminiscent of the dot-com boom. It’s a compelling argument against change. For all of the progressive thinking in this town, we’re pretty conservative when it comes to keeping Portland exactly as it is.
An MLS franchise perfectly flatters our self-conscious sense of quirkiness and fierce independence from what is popular with the mainstream. But one could make the argument either way which is better for the economic health or quality of living in PDX.