I'm back after health issues that had me an inch from the grave too many times to count. I decided to check out what John has on his mind and the new PAC. This article moved me to re-join. As a long suffering Sonic fan from my days in Seattle, (used to listen to games on a hand held transistor radio while working) PORTLAND..DO NOT SCREW THIS UP. Every time I see the name thunder, I get red in the face and cuss. Owners will move your Trailblazers if you let them.
JC, in 2026, sadly, two more business will leave Portland. The one that will hurt the most is Daimler truck manufacturing leaving Swan Island for the Carolinas (375 jobs plus all the butterfly effect of small businesses supporting Daimler employees). The other is Under Armour who are taking 60 jobs in PDX, back to Baltimore.
Is Mexico City or Virginia Beach also potential relocation landing spots?
I hope to be pleasantly surprised that the City retains Blazers. But I’m already mentally prepared that they will leave. Portland has just continued to get it wrong time and time again. And the current City council leadership are sympathetic to Mamdani. It’s not a good mix for a ‘poor’ and scrappy billionaire like Dundon.
I suppose there are scattered fans everywhere, but my guess is that if there was a summary of Blazers season or single ticket buyers by zipcode it would be very very heavy to Portland Metro.
I can remember the "old days" of the late 1970's, early 1980's, when retailer GI Joe's was still around, with stores around the state, and their displays of Blazers merchandise. I can remember Blazers players and broadcasters doing road trips around the state.
That type of state-wide fandom no longer exists.
Yes, maybe Molly from Beaverton who moved to Sun River still is a fan in Central Oregon, but generally the Blazers get little publicity outside Metro. And, in the last couple decades have done little to change that.
I DON"T KNOW. That's why I'd like to see some data such as ticket sales by zipcode which I assume would be heavy to Portland Metro including Vancouver. I think there are fewer radio stations carrying Blazer games now? What are their ratings?
But added personal observation from the old GI Joe's days, and also see pretty skimpy Blazer offerings at Fred Meyers in Oregon cities outside of Metro as well. To me, it's an indicator - not a be all. Maybe it's simply Beavers and Ducks stuff has more floor space value than Blazers, but sure is different than the good ole days.
Of course ticket sales will have a heavy Portland / Vancouver metro area slant. I agree, it's been a while between the good old days and now. Winning makes a difference in fan interest both in PDX metro and statewide. Blazers lost a lot of fans with multiple years of tanking. It'll take some marketing effort too, to win them back. Too bad Dun da Dun Dun seems to be focused on poisoning the well.
It is clear that Dundon bought this team to relocate them. As a 25+ year sales leader I am seeing the same tactics from him that I have seen from others negotiating in bad faith.
Sadly the business climate is terrible in PDX and the political atmosphere is even worse. Blazers are gone.
We need to refocus on bringing MLB or NHL to Portland. I think this could be a top NHL market.
It's gone from keeping it weird to keeping it woke to just plain crazy. Both families on my mother's side were in Oregon long before statehood and they were prominent leaders who helped build Oregon. They'd be shocked to see Oregon today.
There is a vocal and influential minority of people in Multnomah county well represented on the city council who are anti-business, anti-corporation, anti-successful/wealthy people, and several other things, who see someone like Dundon as the root of all evil, to be opposed at every turn. They were the ones who enabled night after night of riots during BLM, the rampant homelessness and related property crimes, all of which have destroyed the city’s reputation.
So Dundon might have met his match if he was hoping to strong arm a one sided deal from Portland, because that well connected minority will be just as happy to see the Blazers leave, tear down Moda center, and turn the land into a park.
The Portland City Peacock caucus (6 members, 4 who are DSA) met behind closed doors to scheme how to tear down / scrap Portland Prosper, the quasi public/private city entity aimed at helping grow new business. A member of the more moderate city council complained, and there was an Oregon Ethics Committee investigation that resulted. That is the city council which new Blazer ownership gets to negotiate with.
One thing I keep wondering about is why the City is so set on several contingencies for moving forward with renovations. Assume for a moment the Blazers do leave. And, the City then tries to attract NHL or hijack a different NBA club. Those prospective tenants are going to want to see a modern arena in place, or a plan from the City to quickly deliver one... and deliver it without contingencies before agreeing to move to PDX. Are the current Blazers really asking for anything different than what a new prospective tenant would want? The prospective tenant would be no more enamored with contingencies than the current Blazers?
If you listen to the Softy interview that is what he is really saying. "Don't let the Blazers leave by making decisions based on ego, and shortsighted funding." Of course, it ain't Softy's $600M, but that was his caution using some colorful language.
My thought is the average fan really has little to say about multi-billion $$ sports team deals. The Portland city council barely listens to the average local citizen. They all have their political agendas. I highly doubt Dundon cares what Oregon citizens think. Apparently the NBA doesn't either. So, while, that might be nice advice from "Softy", it is virtually worthless.
We would hate to see the Blazers leave. We live in Sutherlin and get 2 season tickets every year. My wife drives up on game day and picks up our handicapped son in Hillsboro to go to the game. She takes him home after the game and spends the night in one of the motels. I would say they are not alone as statewide fans. I stay home and feed the horses…and watch the game on tv.
“Oregon is a tough place to do business. High taxes. Layers of bureaucracy. Lots of well-meaning crazies in leadership positions. And the vocal minority carries way too much clout.
— Columbia and Nike both operate in unincorporated Washington County. Lots of Oregon companies, including Dutch Bros., have moved headquarters to other states. Commercial real estate has been in a spiral since the pandemic. The loss of tax revenue should raise alarm bells with state and city leaders.”
Glad you drew attention here, John.
‘Compound choices’… the human equivalent of compound interest.
Hardly noticeable in the beginning, astonishing in the end.
The dye of a move may have been cast 10-15 years ago when the city council turned crazy.
While population has dropped by a small amount within Portland, the metropolitan area is still growing. Seattle itself is still seeing growth at a small rate, and the suburban area growing faster. So no, people are “fleeing in droves.”
Oregon is growing slower than the national average. Washington doing a but better but the chickens are coming home to roost as the political environment continues to deteriorate
I moved from Seattle in 1990 to Tucson and for the past 26 years in Las Vegas. I'm SHOCKED at the way the city has gone down the toilet. I have kids, grand kids and great grand kids living in the area. Portland too, another disaster from what I remember it.
I don’t listen to anything Softy says. What are his ratings versus the guys on 710 am? Horrible.
I keep hearing the Blazers say that “Portland’s current stagnant business climate, high income taxes, and divisive political environment make this a tough city to invest in.” That may be entirely true, but is it worse than the day they bought? They should have known what they were getting into. This is a lame argument. When idiotic statements are made, you give less credit to everything else said.
I’m not so sure of Raleigh being a good site for the NBA. There is so much good basketball already in that area with UNC, Duke, NC State and other schools. The NBA also hasn’t been very successful in Charlotte, and splitting support in that state would be tough for the Hornets.
I think what the Blazers really want is a new suburban arena. I would not be surprised to see various governments in Washington and Clackamas counties exploring that at some point soon.
Boost or detriment? Boost: Does that Raleigh NBA team have players from Duke, N. Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, U of Charlotte, Greensboro, Furman...and were they recently college stars? Detriment: The team's NBA players are from Europe, China, Kentucky, Texas, Wisconsin, etc.
Everyone complains about the "big" problems Portland has, and about our negative image on the national stage ... so why would anyone want to risk losing one of the few really good things about Portland? And some people don't care if they leave or not? If you truly love Portland and Oregon, you should want to keep something about our state that is really good and fun!
Is the relatively low level of corporate sponsorship purely the result of difficult economic circumstances, or is it also a result of being historically unnecessary because of the old "SPAM" adage?
John. you have often asked we readers to comment on your new video ventures.
I would like to say that I clicked on your link to the Softey video (whom I have never seen or listened to) near the top of this collum, watched, and learned nothing that you haven't written before in your posts, except why there is a huge ratio of people who either love him or hate him.
Then I found the video link to the same post.
I then read the rest of your post and found out I didn't need to watch the video, as you covered everything that was in the video in your writing.
I'm in my 80s and am a reader, not a TV watcher. I do not ever watch TV to watch people TALK about sports EVER,
I watch TV to watch sorts, and bitch about the people who are talking.
Please keep WRITING to those of us who are READERS .
I'm back after health issues that had me an inch from the grave too many times to count. I decided to check out what John has on his mind and the new PAC. This article moved me to re-join. As a long suffering Sonic fan from my days in Seattle, (used to listen to games on a hand held transistor radio while working) PORTLAND..DO NOT SCREW THIS UP. Every time I see the name thunder, I get red in the face and cuss. Owners will move your Trailblazers if you let them.
Thank you for being here Dwight.
glad your health is good, Dwight!
JC, in 2026, sadly, two more business will leave Portland. The one that will hurt the most is Daimler truck manufacturing leaving Swan Island for the Carolinas (375 jobs plus all the butterfly effect of small businesses supporting Daimler employees). The other is Under Armour who are taking 60 jobs in PDX, back to Baltimore.
Is Mexico City or Virginia Beach also potential relocation landing spots?
I hope to be pleasantly surprised that the City retains Blazers. But I’m already mentally prepared that they will leave. Portland has just continued to get it wrong time and time again. And the current City council leadership are sympathetic to Mamdani. It’s not a good mix for a ‘poor’ and scrappy billionaire like Dundon.
I suppose there are scattered fans everywhere, but my guess is that if there was a summary of Blazers season or single ticket buyers by zipcode it would be very very heavy to Portland Metro.
I can remember the "old days" of the late 1970's, early 1980's, when retailer GI Joe's was still around, with stores around the state, and their displays of Blazers merchandise. I can remember Blazers players and broadcasters doing road trips around the state.
That type of state-wide fandom no longer exists.
Yes, maybe Molly from Beaverton who moved to Sun River still is a fan in Central Oregon, but generally the Blazers get little publicity outside Metro. And, in the last couple decades have done little to change that.
And you know this all to be accurate and not just a product of your own filtration system how?
I DON"T KNOW. That's why I'd like to see some data such as ticket sales by zipcode which I assume would be heavy to Portland Metro including Vancouver. I think there are fewer radio stations carrying Blazer games now? What are their ratings?
But added personal observation from the old GI Joe's days, and also see pretty skimpy Blazer offerings at Fred Meyers in Oregon cities outside of Metro as well. To me, it's an indicator - not a be all. Maybe it's simply Beavers and Ducks stuff has more floor space value than Blazers, but sure is different than the good ole days.
Of course ticket sales will have a heavy Portland / Vancouver metro area slant. I agree, it's been a while between the good old days and now. Winning makes a difference in fan interest both in PDX metro and statewide. Blazers lost a lot of fans with multiple years of tanking. It'll take some marketing effort too, to win them back. Too bad Dun da Dun Dun seems to be focused on poisoning the well.
It is clear that Dundon bought this team to relocate them. As a 25+ year sales leader I am seeing the same tactics from him that I have seen from others negotiating in bad faith.
Sadly the business climate is terrible in PDX and the political atmosphere is even worse. Blazers are gone.
We need to refocus on bringing MLB or NHL to Portland. I think this could be a top NHL market.
You are not wrong to think contingency... the city has no current leverage.
In days of yore the solution would involve tar, feathers. And a rail
Totally agree.... this is a Kabuki dance at this point
Portland sports fans would love the NHL. The in-game experience is a lot of fun.🏒🥅
I would hate to see the Blazers leave town, but not bad enough to steal from the general public across Oregon to pay their ransom.
Figure out how to pay the bills within the MODA center organization, the tenants who rent the building or within the city/county.
If state tax funding is used then it should be considered a loan at 25-30% interest.
It's unfortunate that we don't have any elected leadership in this state that can run a business.
Feelings and nostalgia won't fix this mess
The lack of business acumen has long been a problem for city leaders.
Portland is too busy "keeping it weird" to worry about business acumen
It's gone from keeping it weird to keeping it woke to just plain crazy. Both families on my mother's side were in Oregon long before statehood and they were prominent leaders who helped build Oregon. They'd be shocked to see Oregon today.
There is a vocal and influential minority of people in Multnomah county well represented on the city council who are anti-business, anti-corporation, anti-successful/wealthy people, and several other things, who see someone like Dundon as the root of all evil, to be opposed at every turn. They were the ones who enabled night after night of riots during BLM, the rampant homelessness and related property crimes, all of which have destroyed the city’s reputation.
So Dundon might have met his match if he was hoping to strong arm a one sided deal from Portland, because that well connected minority will be just as happy to see the Blazers leave, tear down Moda center, and turn the land into a park.
The Portland City Peacock caucus (6 members, 4 who are DSA) met behind closed doors to scheme how to tear down / scrap Portland Prosper, the quasi public/private city entity aimed at helping grow new business. A member of the more moderate city council complained, and there was an Oregon Ethics Committee investigation that resulted. That is the city council which new Blazer ownership gets to negotiate with.
One thing I keep wondering about is why the City is so set on several contingencies for moving forward with renovations. Assume for a moment the Blazers do leave. And, the City then tries to attract NHL or hijack a different NBA club. Those prospective tenants are going to want to see a modern arena in place, or a plan from the City to quickly deliver one... and deliver it without contingencies before agreeing to move to PDX. Are the current Blazers really asking for anything different than what a new prospective tenant would want? The prospective tenant would be no more enamored with contingencies than the current Blazers?
If you listen to the Softy interview that is what he is really saying. "Don't let the Blazers leave by making decisions based on ego, and shortsighted funding." Of course, it ain't Softy's $600M, but that was his caution using some colorful language.
> One thing I keep wondering about is why the City is so set on several contingencies for moving forward with renovations.
You’re wondering why the City is trying to develop leverage to use against Dundon? It’s so they have leverage to use against Dundon.
Thanks for articulating what should go without saying
Softy always a good for nothing.
My thought is the average fan really has little to say about multi-billion $$ sports team deals. The Portland city council barely listens to the average local citizen. They all have their political agendas. I highly doubt Dundon cares what Oregon citizens think. Apparently the NBA doesn't either. So, while, that might be nice advice from "Softy", it is virtually worthless.
We would hate to see the Blazers leave. We live in Sutherlin and get 2 season tickets every year. My wife drives up on game day and picks up our handicapped son in Hillsboro to go to the game. She takes him home after the game and spends the night in one of the motels. I would say they are not alone as statewide fans. I stay home and feed the horses…and watch the game on tv.
“Oregon is a tough place to do business. High taxes. Layers of bureaucracy. Lots of well-meaning crazies in leadership positions. And the vocal minority carries way too much clout.
— Columbia and Nike both operate in unincorporated Washington County. Lots of Oregon companies, including Dutch Bros., have moved headquarters to other states. Commercial real estate has been in a spiral since the pandemic. The loss of tax revenue should raise alarm bells with state and city leaders.”
Glad you drew attention here, John.
‘Compound choices’… the human equivalent of compound interest.
Hardly noticeable in the beginning, astonishing in the end.
The dye of a move may have been cast 10-15 years ago when the city council turned crazy.
IF they are going to use state funding for the renovation of the Moda Center, change the name of the team to the Oregon Trail Blazers.
Great idea, and it actually sounds better.
They at least need to take MODA down from the marque and replace it with taxpayers!
now that's funny! "The Taxpayer Arena!"
Both Seattle and Portland are run by idiots people are fleeing in droves.
While population has dropped by a small amount within Portland, the metropolitan area is still growing. Seattle itself is still seeing growth at a small rate, and the suburban area growing faster. So no, people are “fleeing in droves.”
Oregon is growing slower than the national average. Washington doing a but better but the chickens are coming home to roost as the political environment continues to deteriorate
I moved from Seattle in 1990 to Tucson and for the past 26 years in Las Vegas. I'm SHOCKED at the way the city has gone down the toilet. I have kids, grand kids and great grand kids living in the area. Portland too, another disaster from what I remember it.
I don’t listen to anything Softy says. What are his ratings versus the guys on 710 am? Horrible.
I keep hearing the Blazers say that “Portland’s current stagnant business climate, high income taxes, and divisive political environment make this a tough city to invest in.” That may be entirely true, but is it worse than the day they bought? They should have known what they were getting into. This is a lame argument. When idiotic statements are made, you give less credit to everything else said.
I’m not so sure of Raleigh being a good site for the NBA. There is so much good basketball already in that area with UNC, Duke, NC State and other schools. The NBA also hasn’t been very successful in Charlotte, and splitting support in that state would be tough for the Hornets.
I think what the Blazers really want is a new suburban arena. I would not be surprised to see various governments in Washington and Clackamas counties exploring that at some point soon.
Is that good college basketball a boost for the NBA? Or a detriment?
Boost or detriment? Boost: Does that Raleigh NBA team have players from Duke, N. Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, U of Charlotte, Greensboro, Furman...and were they recently college stars? Detriment: The team's NBA players are from Europe, China, Kentucky, Texas, Wisconsin, etc.
The city of Portland has bigger issues than the Blazers, but lose the team and the reason for living for many is catastrophic.
Everyone complains about the "big" problems Portland has, and about our negative image on the national stage ... so why would anyone want to risk losing one of the few really good things about Portland? And some people don't care if they leave or not? If you truly love Portland and Oregon, you should want to keep something about our state that is really good and fun!
They do need to do whatever it takes to keep the Blazers in Portland. If the offer them everything, the NBA won’t let them leave.
Is the relatively low level of corporate sponsorship purely the result of difficult economic circumstances, or is it also a result of being historically unnecessary because of the old "SPAM" adage?
When a company is figuring out how to LEAVE Oregon, the last thing on its mind is what it will take to keep a professional sports team in Portland
John. you have often asked we readers to comment on your new video ventures.
I would like to say that I clicked on your link to the Softey video (whom I have never seen or listened to) near the top of this collum, watched, and learned nothing that you haven't written before in your posts, except why there is a huge ratio of people who either love him or hate him.
Then I found the video link to the same post.
I then read the rest of your post and found out I didn't need to watch the video, as you covered everything that was in the video in your writing.
I'm in my 80s and am a reader, not a TV watcher. I do not ever watch TV to watch people TALK about sports EVER,
I watch TV to watch sorts, and bitch about the people who are talking.
Please keep WRITING to those of us who are READERS .
Next, can you explain OFFSIDES i soccer?