Chris Dudley, Marshall Glickman and Joth Ricci
For The Oregonian/OregonLive
Dudley played for the Portland Trail Blazers for six years and was the Republican nominee for Oregon governor in 2010. Glickman served as president of the Trail Blazers and Oregon Arena Corp. from 1988 to 1995 and is the son of Trail Blazers founder Harry Glickman. Ricci has served as chief executive with Dutch Bros and is a past chair of the Oregon Business Council.
Some may view the upcoming sale of the Portland Trail Blazers with concern or even alarm. Could a new owner, with no roots in Portland or the Northwest, move the team to another city with a larger fan base, bigger media market and newer state-of-the-art arena?
We see things differently. We see a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our city and state to put its best foot forward to ensure that any future team owner will want to invest, operate and thrive in Portland for generations to come. In doing so, on one of the biggest stages possible, we can send a powerful and optimistic message to ourselves and the nation about the bright economic, social and cultural future of our city – at a moment when we need it most.
It’s why we’ve launched Rip City Forever. We are a team of Oregonians united by our love for the Blazers and our belief that the future vitality of Portland goes hand-in-hand with the future success of the team. We intend to advocate with and provide professional support to elected and government officials to ensure the Blazers not only remain here but are a catalyst for the renewal and success of our city and state. Our goal is to inspire leadership, spur action and build public support to make speculation about the team leaving Portland unnecessary and irrelevant.
Leadership begins with clear-eyed recognition that while NBA officials may prefer the Blazers remain here – we will need to compete to keep the team in Portland. We should assume places like Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Nashville, Austin, Vancouver, B.C. and even Mexico City are already plotting to woo the next Blazers owner to their city. Remember, the Oklahoma City Thunder were once the Seattle SuperSonics, the LA Clippers the San Diego Clippers, and the Sacramento Kings the Kansas City Kings – to name just a few teams that have moved.
To beat our competition, Portland needs to think and act big. The economic realities of today’s NBA require it. With average team valuations in excess of $4.5 billion, teams can no longer rely solely on ticket sales, sponsorships and media. Revenue from world-class arenas with surrounding development have become a key contributor to the economic viability of each franchise – helping cover player salaries, arena upkeep and other costs – especially in smaller markets.
It’s why cities across the country have undertaken public-private partnerships with team owners to create new neighborhoods, anchored by new arenas and stadiums, with surrounding housing, shopping and entertainment experiences – revitalizing urban areas in the process. Oklahoma City is a case in point. The Thunder play in Paycom Center, an 18,000-seat arena that opened in 2002, seven years after the Moda Center. Yet, they are building a new $900 million arena that will open in 2028.
Portland should be thinking the same way, either with a significantly renovated Moda Center and re-imagined Rose Quarter, or with a new multi-purpose arena and practice facility in the heart of the city. For example, replacing the Moda Center with a new arena at the Lloyd Center or another central city location would not only secure the Blazers’ future in Portland, but would help revitalize downtown and create even greater opportunities for the future of the Albina neighborhood.
Oregonians can join nearly 100 community leaders by adding their names at www.ripcityforever.com. In addition, the Oregon Community Foundation has established the Portland United Fund to accept private donations to support the practical work needed nowto prepare the city to partner with the eventual new owner on a shared vision for a renovated or new arena. Seattle’s loss of the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 is a cautionary tale that if we wait until after the team is sold to get our plans together, it could be too late.
The sale of the Blazers is coming fast, perhaps by the end of the year. We can’t control the process or outcome. But we can control how quickly and creatively we take action to demonstrate to the NBA and every potential new owner that we are taking practical steps today to make Portland the best place in North America to own an NBA team. The recent Oregonian/OregonLive editorial said it well, “Elected officials, community advocates and business leaders need to start shaping a strategy now for what public funding possibilities exist for helping finance construction of a new or renovated arena. They should also strategize a broader development plan that boosts the team and the city alike.”
Erin Hubert, a former chief operating officer of the Trail Blazers, and Ryan Buchanan, co-founder of We Believe in Portland, also contributed to this op-ed.
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