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We expected publishing a picture of Damian Lillard in a Seattle SuperSonics jersey on the front page would get a reaction, and it did. Our cover story on the uncertain future of the Blazers in Portland (“Anything but This,” WW, July 30) was described by some readers as baseless fearmongering, and by others as a necessary provocation. A decent number of people saw us as stalking horses for the team’s next billionaire owner, sowing paranoia to ease the giveaway of public dollars for a new or renovated arena. (If that actually works, we want free popcorn for life.) Here’s what our readers had to say:
Chuck Thompson, via email: “Just want to congratulate the person/people who conceived, designed and put the copy on the ‘Anything but This’ WW cover. I can’t recall the last time I yanked a WW out of the box so fast then started reading the thing right in front of the box (on Hawthorne, if that makes a difference). Great job putting that together, best I’ve seen in a while from any publication.”
vietnamted, via Reddit: “Click bait fearmongering. The Blazers aren’t even first in line for a theoretical move. New Orleans is far more likely to relocate, and even that is unlikely. The league has been transparent about wanting expansion over relocation. The Sonics fiasco is a blemish that neither investors nor fans want to repeat.”
Sue, via wweek.com: “Blazers or some hypothetical baseball team…or neither? Portland can barely afford the costs for renovating Moda Center, especially since the voters are getting increasingly frustrated by ever-increasing taxes, fees, the cost of tickets. Well, let’s just say they can’t afford bankrolling sports teams that have very, very rich owners and yet are not self-sufficient but dependent on draining the financial resources of places they call “home.” Has sports franchising become a form of parasitism?”
LouieLouis, via wweek.com: “Excellent article. It breaks down the variables in the formula very well. If I was betting on the outcome, I would bet on the team becoming the Seattle Sonics, the Vegas or the San Diego Blazers. Portland should focus on their upcoming WNBA team and professional soccer. The city has way too many other issues to deal with. A minor league baseball team at Civic Stadium [Providence Park] might also be a viable option.”
Kelly Davis, via Bluesky: “As a Seattleite, we don’t want the Blazers. We don’t want to steal anyone else’s team because we know how shitty that is. We just want an expansion team, but we will accept the return of OKC because that was ours to begin with and fuck them, they deserve nothing.”
Nathaniel Glasgow, via Bluesky: “The Blazers (and all sports teams) should be publicly owned, instead of having some billionaire shake us down for money to subsidize their vanity project. They could be managed by an elected board of directors, which would massively increase voter turnout. I assume the NBA would never allow this.”
Steve Kenney, via email: “I don’t believe you. You begin your Blazer article [by] saying that you suffered angst over the wisdom of a Lillard cover picture of Damian in a Seattle uniform. I think that you knew instantly that you had a winner. Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words. Brilliant.”
WORKING CLASS DESERVE BETTER FROM WW
I felt hopeless after reading your “Better Off Red?” article on July 16. You made me afraid that no politician in this country will ever be allowed to prioritize the poor and working class without backlash from wealthy individuals and corporations. I’m equally saddened by your lack of reflection since readers started to express their disappointment with the article.
In my case, this disappointment comes from fear of increasing divisiveness between centrists and leftists. Your readers have a right to be concerned about the damage articles like yours do to the cohesion between all regions of the political spectrum fighting against the rise of fascism. You implied that people are equally right to be upset about you criticizing pro-working class politicians as they are about those politicians criticizing a family with an unsustainable amount of wealth, but they are not equivalent.
The people who those politicians support could lose what little social safety net they have if you convince the public that those politicians can’t be trusted. You harm the working class by feeding the public’s knee-jerk distrust of socialists with sensationalist headlines. On the other hand, the only thing the Schnitzers have to fear from criticism from leftist leaders is losing their economic dominance. Your readers, who are seeing their hopes of affording to have children, buy a house, or retire get fainter every year, know that their only hope is for leaders like Angelita Morillo to succeed.
Rebecca Hirsch
Washington County
CORRECTION
Due to an editor’s error, last week’s cover story (“Anything but This,” WW, July 30) misstated the amount Paul Allen contributed to the construction of Moda Center. It was $228 million, not $46 millon. WW regrets the error.
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to:
P.O. Box 10770
Portland, OR 97296
Email: amesh@wweek.com
