The Portland sports landscape has been fairly static for a while, but things got decidedly stranger (and more fun) this year via a few new additions.

The big picture: The Collide Agency — the folks behind the Portland Pickles baseball team — introduced Portland to two new pre-professional soccer teams: the Portland Bangers and the Portland Cherry Bombs.

• We chatted with Collide co-founder Alan Miller to hear about what makes Rip City the perfect incubator for teams that are known almost as much for their gametime shenanigans as for their performance on the pitch.

State of play: The Pickles have leaned into the weird — represented by their towering mascot, Dillon, and promotions like Tattoo Tuesdays and Exploding Whale Night — and Miller said fans should expect even more with the new teams.

• "There's a level of open-mindedness here," Miller told Axios. "It's one of those markets that's very accepting of ideas and creativity. That gives us permission to try things that might not work elsewhere."

The Bangers mascot, a suggestively shaped frankfurter named Saucy T. Sausage, is one facet that feels like it could only work in a place like Portland.

• But because there are far fewer breaks in the action in soccer than in baseball, more of the focus is on the actual game, Miller said.
• "We do have a giant terrifying sausage, but it's not always the focal point because the soccer itself is so good," Miller said, noting the Bangers sold out every game in their inaugural season.

The intrigue: While the Bangers saw success, Miller said he heard a resounding question from fans: Where's the women's team?

• Collide announced the launch of the Portland Cherry Bombs last month, a squad that will kick off its season in May.
• And the team wouldn't be complete without its mascot, Mary the Cherry, set to be unveiled sometime early next year. "The platform we're building for women's sports is going to be revolutionary," Miller said.
• "We're building something very small, local and community-driven, and Portland can be a pioneer in showing how successful these teams can be."

What's next

Young children's share of the population in the Portland metro area dropped from 6.8% to 4.8% over the past two decades, census data shows, mirroring national trends.

Why it matters: The child population trend can reflect cities' ability to attract, retain and support families.

• But larger nationwide factors are also at play, including birth and death rates as well as immigration.

Zoom in: Oregon has one of the lowest birth rates in country — above only Washington, D.C. and Vermont.

• Plus: Oregon's birth rate is now below replacement level — meaning Oregon's economy is fully reliant upon migration for population growth.

Zoom out: Some experts link Oregon's low birth rate to the fact that we are an older state with a median age around 40.

The big picture: The U.S. birth rate hit a record low in 2024, while life expectancy is approaching 80 following a pandemic-era dip.

• Those data points might suggest children will make up less of the overall population over time — fewer kids, more older folks.
• Yet the country grew around 1% between 2023 and 2024 — breakneck speed, as such things go — driven primarily by immigrants (including children, complicating the births vs. deaths picture).

What we're watching: The Trump administration's efforts to clamp down on and dissuade illegal immigration could affect the child population share in ways not yet well understood.

Tell a neighbor

⚡️ Portland General Electric may be trying to skirt a new law to protect residential customers from the costs of supplying energy to data centers, a group of public utility watchdogs alleged. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

🍂 Stark Street Lawn & Garden is looking to capitalize on the upcoming ban on gas-powered leaf blowers and will host a demo and sale of electric blowers today. (Willamette Week)

📝 Opponents of new transportation taxes and fees submitted nearly 200,000 signatures — more than double the number needed — to refer the issue to voters in next year's election.

• That means the new taxes won't go into effect in January and Gov. Tina Kotek still faces a big transportation budget gap. (OPB)

🎭 The weather will be a double-edged sword this week, with strong rains and wind potentially bringing downed trees and river flooding, along with the potential for at least a couple feet of snow falling in the Cascades. (KOIN)

Interstate Bridge Replacement program leaders told Oregon and Washington lawmakers yesterday that they still don't have an updated cost estimate for the project, citing unresolved federal decisions and shifting construction costs.

Why it matters: The price tag — last estimated at $5 billion to $7.5 billion — is expected to climb substantially.

• Administrators plan to model more than 100 risk factors, including tariffs, supply-chain pressures and the potential cost differences between fixed and movable bridge designs before giving a new figure next year.

What they're saying: "This bridge is approaching getting out of control on spending," state Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany) said during the Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee meeting yesterday.

What we're watching: The Coast Guard's early-2026 decision on bridge height will lock in the final design — engineers are currently weighing four options — and allow the program to finish its cost estimate and move toward breaking ground.

• Environmental reviews and contractor procurement are still ongoing.
• Completing the full project could take up to 15 years, stretching across multiple budget cycles and administrations.