Expansion WNBA team brings back the original Portland Fire name
The Portland Fire is back in action, as Oregon’s WNBA team has decided to revive the name of the city’s previous WNBA team that played from 2000 to 2002. The team, which will begin play next season alongside the Toronto Tempo, announced its new name and branding with a fresh “Rose on Fire” logo and a color palette of red, brown, blue, and pink.
Interim Fire president Clare Hamill expressed the team’s sentiment that the fire never truly died and that fans have been eagerly anticipating the team’s return. The team’s name pays homage to the original Portland Fire, which was chaired by the late Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and former owner of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The NBA owned the WNBA teams until 2002, at which point they were sold to affiliated NBA teams or independent owners. Unfortunately, Allen declined to purchase the Fire, leading to the team’s eventual folding. However, the city was awarded a new WNBA team last September, with the team now being run by Raj Sports, the same group that owns the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League.
The Fire and the Thorns will be sharing a new joint-training facility, marking the first such partnership between the two women’s leagues. The Fire has already made waves by selling over 11,000 season tickets, surpassing the WNBA’s previous best. The team will play their games at the Moda Center, where the original Fire had an average attendance of 8,000 fans per game.
Despite the team’s success in ticket sales, there have been bumps in the road leading up to the launch. Previous indications of the team’s return to the Fire name were leaked when a local publication published the team’s trademark application. Additionally, the team’s president, Inky Son, departed from the team after less than three months on the job.
In the meantime, interim president Clare Hamill, a former Nike executive, has taken the reins until a permanent replacement can be found. The team is moving quickly, with plans to celebrate the name and logo launch with a community party at the Moda Center.
The Fire’s revival has generated excitement among fans, and with a strong leadership team in place, the team is poised for success in the upcoming WNBA season. Stay tuned for more updates on the Portland Fire’s journey back into the spotlight.
