Sports do thrive in this town

I attended a recent City Club of Portland event where Merritt Paulson, owner of the Portland Beavers and Timbers, and Larry Miller, president of the Portland Trail Blazers, participated on a panel discussing Portland’s viability as a “sports city.”

I agree with Paulson and Miller that Portland is justified in calling itself a sports city. In my 12 years of leading the Oregon Sports Authority, I have seen firsthand how the people of Oregon support not only our sports franchises and activities, but the national and international sporting events held throughout the state.

If one looks more closely, there’s plenty of evidence that Oregon is a strong sports state, demonstrated most recently by the official launch of our Central Oregon chapter last fall.

The mission of the Oregon Sports Authority is to create economic development in Oregon through athletics and position the state as the preferred location for sports events, franchises and related activities.

Over the past 15 years, in partnership with Oregon businesses, individuals and civic organizations, the Oregon Sports Authority has generated approximately $120 million for the state’s economy through sports tourism.

While the nation has been watching the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Oregon Sports Authority has been preparing for the first and second rounds of the 2009 tournament, which will take place at the Rose Garden.

– Excerpt from The Portland Tribune, My View, April 8, 2008