Portland is finally getting professional football! Something that is so long overdue is finally happening in the Rose City. The Portland Thunder are an Arena Football League franchise that will kick off their inaugural season in March. The team was brought here by local businessman Terry Emmert.
At the Moda Center on October 2nd, Emmert, along with AFL Commissioner Jerry Kurz and Team President Jared Rose, the future Arena Football League team was announced.
Along with my full-time job and writing, I am a business major and I love diving into the depths of what make successful businesses successful. I love the business aspects of sports. That is why I am a huge fan of Portland Trail Blazer President Chris McGowan and my favorite follow on twitter is Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell).
The Thunder are an incredible case study of a sports business. From the very beginning of the franchise, the interaction between the franchise and the fans has been incredible. The team ran a promo through their Facebook and website for the fans to name the team. After all was said and done, Thunder was settled on.
Social media has changed the interaction available between individuals and the Thunder have done great things so far in their young existence as a franchise. The team has also partnered with new age fantasy football site FanDuel.com to give fans the chance to compete with coaches and front office personnel in the organization.
Thursday, the team is hosting an Open House at the Moda Center. This will be a great opportunity for fans to be a part of the franchise from the very beginning. The team is offering $99 season tickets. Along with the open house, there will be an open tryout starting at 2pm. That will give fans a chance to see some athletes compete for the chance to be a part of the team.
I had the chance to chat with Team President Jared Rose about the direction of the franchise and if the good business plans will lead to good football.
Garrett Thornton – What is the biggest challenge of starting a new team in Portland?
Jared Rose – Getting new fans to buy into something that the market really hasn’t seen before. Any new product launch is difficult, but we’ve got an exciting product that once people see it, they are hooked. The challenge is getting people to take that first bite!
GT – From how I see it, there has been quite a bit of interaction between the franchise and the fans. Will this continue once the season starts?
JR – We definitely want to have tremendous interaction with our fans, especially in the social media circles. Both our coach (Matthew Sauk) and I plan to interact with the fans continuously and we’re going to roll out some fun social rewards programs that will only continue to increase the level of interaction our franchise has with the fans and vice versa.
GT – How important is it for the franchise to sign players like Oregon QB Darron Thomas that has name recognition in the Northwest?
JR – The most important players we can sign are the ones that will win us games. Priority #1, far and away, is to win games and do it with the right guys. If we’re able to do that with local players that is obviously the best possible scenario. In Darron, we feel we’ve got a tremendous QB that has a chance to be a star in this league and the fact he is a local star is the icing on the cake.
GT – What steps are being taken behind the scenes to ensure that the team is a success on the field as well as off the field?
JR – We’re building for long-term, sustainable success and much of the work being done right now is geared not just toward March 17th and our inaugural game, but toward the 2020 season and beyond. Establishing from the get-go that Portland is a city that players will want to come to will make us a destination for top free agents is an ongoing process and one that will pay dividends for years to come. Our staff is hard at work making sure that we put on an amazing show for fans that attend our games and that our players are treated better than anywhere else in the league. Those are the things that will translate into long-term success both on and off the field.
If you aren’t doing anything between 2-8pm Thursday, swing into the Moda Center for your “first bite” of Arena Football in Portland. Coaches and employees within the organization will be there to meet and help you purchase tickets for the upcoming season. I hope to see you all there!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
