Portland's WNBA team appears to have a name
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Where there's smoke.... Photo: Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images
Portland's WNBA team will tip off their first game next summer, and they appear poised to revive the name of the city's defunct early-2000s squad: the Fire.
Why it matters: Portland has been ahead of the curve as women's sports have seen a dramatic surge in popularity over the last few years — home to a fervent fan base for teams like the Thorns and the country's first women's sports bar.
Driving the news: Last week, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report spotted four trademark applications filed by the WNBA with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for "Portland Fire."
- The trademarks would allow the team to use the name for "clothing, footwear and headwear," as well as for "education, providing of training" and entertainment.
- The WNBA also filed applications for a stylized "P" in calligraphy, potentially for the team's logo, Highkin reported.
Yes, but: Not everyone is enthusiastic about running back the same name for a team that last existed here more than two decades ago.
- Bill Oram, sports columnist for the Oregonian, called the choice "a burning disappointment," especially given Oregon's recent traumatic history with wildfires.
- "Calling Portland's new WNBA team the Fire in 2025 would be like naming a team in post-Katrina New Orleans 'the Tide,'" Oram wrote.
What they're saying: Earlier this year, team owner Lisa Bhathal Merage acknowledged the difficulty of choosing a name for a new franchise, in part due to trademark availability.
- "It's like being able to select a name for your child, but then somebody tells you, 'No, you can't have that name. No, you can't have that name, either,'" she said, per the Oregonian.
💠My thought bubble: I tend to side with Oram here. Is this really the best we can do?
- Portland's identity has evolved since the Fire last played, and the team deserves a name that represents what the city is today, not what it was the year "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback topped the billboard charts.
But we want to know what you think. Take the poll below, and if you have an idea for a better name, email us and let us know what you'd call the team and why.
What's next: The mystery may not last long. On social media, the team teased a big reveal on July 15.