FOOTBALL IN PORTLAND?

Football in Portland: Welcome back?

 By Ryan Kister

Jaime Cuadra wants Portland, along with other cities, to play for the United States Football League. Jaime Cuadra thinks Portland will be a successful football business model. 

Cuadra attempted to get Portland a team 4 times already, failing each time.  Portland had football teams in the past.  They included:

The Portland Storm (1973-75) World Football League.

The Portland Breakers (1985) United States Football League.

The Portland Forest Dragons (1995-97) Arena Football League

The Portland Prowlers (2000) Indoor Professional Football League.

This is where the Portland Breakers played. They averaged about 12,000 per game

In 1985, the Breakers averaged close to 20,000 people per game at Civic Stadium. The next year, the United States Football League had to shut down because of an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL. They never had a chance to see if football could be successful in Portland.  Cuadra actually encouraged the Timbers to join the MLS. 

The goal is to create 8 teams and a 14 game schedule. The games would last from March to June. This is just before the NFL training camps in June.  Cuadra doesn't want to play the games in NFL or in Major League Baseball stadiums that seat 20,000 to 30,000. He is looking for smaller, more intimate venues.  Cuadra envisions JELD-WEN Field in Portland, which holds 18,000 people.

 Cuadra hopes the league can average about 17,000 spectators per game. He also desires ticket prices should range from $30 to 40. There were polls recently posted. Cuadra also wants to get local television deals in need of content for spring and early summer.

His plan is for each player to be paid approximately $2000 to $3000 per game with the exception of some players who might receive special compensation.  The new USFL is mainly for prospects, not former stars.

Cuadra sees the USFL as a developmental league for the NFL.

Cuadra wants the teams to be 40% local players. According to this theory, the Portland team will consist of players from Oregon State, Oregon, Portland State, Western Oregon, Washington and Washington State alumni.

The Portland Forest Dragons only averaged 2-3 thousand people per game.

Steve Nitzel, former Portland Forest Dragons general manager, doesn't see indoor football working. He does think outdoor football will. He questions whether a team could draw 17,000 people per game with $30-40 ticket prices. The Forest Dragons only drew 2000 to 3000 people with tickets prices in the same ballpark.

          "If it develops into a developmental league for the NFL, then $15 tickets are possible," he said. "People won't drop college football, Blazers and now Timbers for an unknown entity."

          At least one player would love the USFL to materialize. Former Oregon State safety Greg Laybourn has recently played in the United Football League and the Canada Football League.

          “If you bring some of those local guys who were on the bubble of making the NFL,” he said, “I think that would bring in some of those fans who followed Oregon and Oregon State.”

          After talking to some middle school students, they were either on one side or the other. These quotes seem t sum it up.

“Yes, I do think they will be successful,” said Eric Patterson, sports fanatic. “I think they will be in shape financially and will last a long time.”

“No, they will s--k because they have to recruit,” says AJ Hart, a baseball player and fan. “The only players left are the s---y ones. Every players dream is to play in the NFL, not the USFL.”