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It takes local sports magnate Alan Miller a minute to figure out how many teams he co-owns. “A few,” he says. “Three. At least three. Depending on how you count them.”
Let’s try: baseball’s Portland Pickles, soccer’s Portland Bangers, and the Lake County Captains, a minor league baseball team outside of Cleveland. He is working on a fourth, a women’s soccer team in Portland that he can talk more about come fall. His business partner is Jon Ryan, a former Seattle Seahawks punter.
Since he and Ryan came on as co-owners in 2017, the Portland Pickles have continually upped their on- and off-field game in terms of promotion nights and perpetually leaning into the Portland culture and mining it for all its worth. That’s why this season the Pickles are defending champs of the Wild West League and fans can enjoy this week’s promo nights Jersey Shore Night (June 20), Dillon’s Drag Show 2.0 (June 21) and iPad Baby & Brain Rot (June 24).
On the occasion of the Portland Pickles’ 10th anniversary season and the launch of the Bangers, we asked Miller about his teams, his inspiration and why it works in Portland.
WW: In 2017, did you right away decide, “I’m going to own a baseball team and it’s going to be nuts,” or was it a gradual process?
Alan Miller: It was a spite purchase. I was coming from the marketing world, and we started doing a lot of sports, and I was getting frustrated that a team that I was working with wouldn’t take chances and wouldn’t do things that would be risky at all. So, I wanted an opportunity to show people that you could do things differently and be very successful doing it, and it was the Pickles.
Did you seek out Portland specifically?
No, actually. It became a super-happy accident. As we were building our spite team, it didn’t matter where it was because wherever we got the team, it was going to be successful.
What is the secret to the Portland Pickles’ success?
I think it’s equal parts a few things. One is, it’s an absolutely gorgeous setting. Portland in the summertime is extraordinary. Two, I think that we have been able to appeal to such a diverse group of people. And I’ve found the people in Portland are just more open to new ideas, and we like to try new things and be as creative as we can.
Has there ever been a time where you’ve crossed the line?
I’ve learned where lots of lines are. But no, I don’t have any regrets. Absolutely not.
You have the Pickles and now the Bangers. Do you ever get tired of dick jokes?
No. It never gets old.