https://www.blazersland.com/stealing-rip-city/ "For the past few seasons the team has been moving towards attracting a larger audience. An audience outside of Portland. Hell, an audience outside or Oregon. They want to make this team more appealing to fans of basketball, not just fans of the Portland Trail Blazers. They possess one of the most marketable players in the NBA today in Damian Lillard, who continues to grow his brand and add to his accomplishments. They have a well-liked coach and a style of basketball that’s fun to watch, as demonstrated in their series against the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the playoffs. They have an extremely well-spoken, up-and-coming star in CJ McCollum, who has done national spots for ESPN and has been pursuing his journalism hobby in his offseason. Between Lillard, McCollum, and Stotts, the Blazers have a product that they clearly believe they can pitch on a national level."
Your quote cant help but make me wonder if this will coincide with Olshey making a major move. I hope they are very independent and he just continues to make the right moves the team and not be pressured to make move that make them more fan likable but it really makes me wonder if the team is just going to absolutely go all out this year in making player moves as well
Also "it represents" -- But at the heart of pro sports, there is supposed to be a deep connection between the team and the city in represents.
Great article and perfect timing. I've alays said the rest of the country views Portland as a second class sports city. Having a franchise that has no idetentifiable connections with the local community is so much easier to move! Think I am being paranoid.? Yeah. That's crazy. Like an NHL team in Vegas!
All part of the move to Seattle that PA has always sought. The team used to have fans all over Oregon, but pretty much shut out all but the valley when they did the comcast deal and stopped playing preseason games in Beautiful Central Oregon and other rural areas.
Great, I just bought the Blazers Grab Bag from the store and got a "Rip City Resident" shirt as part of it. blah
One of the reasons I love being a Blazer fan is the passion that surrounds the team. But at the same time it gets old that no matter how good things are going, there will always be the disgruntled. This team balled out this year, did an amazing job, and here we are freaking out over some broadcasters. To me MB is the only one of the 3 that there is a good argument to keep. Harvey routinely destroyed some great calls by Wheels (Dame's series winner anyone?). Rice was always lost, didn't know what was going on and made it impossible for casual NBA fans to want to turn on a home blazer game if they had NBA league pass. We bitch about Dame missing the all star game, and our team never getting any love nationally, yet when part of the problem is removed, we bitch more. On top of that the Blazers just gave them an extension knowing they were planning on a change, effectively paying them for next year to soften the blow. I have been laid off before, good lord I know I would have LOVED to be given a year's salary as I walked out the door. To me that was a classy, missed and underappreciated move by the FO in all of this. You want big time free agents? Well then you can't keep Trailblazer's "local" in a time when these big time players are making more money off endorsements than their NBA contracts. You want our team to get national love? Then people need to be able to watch your games without putting it on mute. Yet in the end you don't want to share it with anyone? Anyone else see the hypocrisy here? Nate, Great article and you brought up plenty to think about. I am just trying to do the same.
You do realize most of us aren't mad that they got canned, but how it was done and the way Mcgowan spoke of it? I mean, that had to be obvious. Guess not.
Yeah, I hate it when people get canned and given a years salary on the way out. The nerve. But seriously, that isn't really the main point of Nate's initial post, nor my rebuttal on the idea that you can't keep a team "yours" while also wanting the national attention the fans seem to yearn for. I was merely using it as the latest example of the hypocrisy I see from this fan base every year. I mean, that had to be obvious. Guess not.
