2023
Annual Report
Welcome
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With another banner year of sports in our state drawing to a close, it is my pleasure to write to you today on behalf of the entire team at Sport Oregon, wishing you a Happy Holiday season and all the best in the New Year. Together, we continue to accomplish great things for Oregon, and we are extremely grateful for everyone’s support and partnership in helping drive economic and positive social impact in our state once again in 2023.
At Sport Oregon, we are extremely fortunate to have the support of an engaged board of directors, a talented and enterprising staff and an ever-growing network of like-minded partners that make all the important work we do possible. We all share an unapologetic love of Oregon, and we are truly grateful for everyone’s ongoing efforts to make our state even better. Together, we understand that a thriving sports tourism environment is crucial to the wellbeing of Oregon.
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This year, we saluted outgoing board president Chris Van Wagner for her exceptional guidance during her recently concluded term, and welcomed new board president Jim Carideo, in addition to a new slate of officers and executive board members. Simply put, our board of directors plays a massive role in guiding the strategic direction, financial health and the community role of Sport Oregon.
Additionally, we were excited to welcome a host of new staff members to our Sport Oregon team in 2023, including Kristin Spear (Director of Strategic Partnerships), Natasha Reyes (Sports Tourism Services Manager), Kiki Zeise (Events Manager) and Anita Moreno (Executive Assistant, Member Relations Manager). We experienced encouraging growth across the board in 2023, and our experienced and growing team plays a crucial role in our continued success as an organization.
At our Sport Oregon offices, this year we dedicated a large area of our space as the Len Bergstein Clubhouse. The space, which honors the late Bergstein for his longtime support of Sport Oregon as a founding board member, serves as an asset to our community partners and related events.
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Once again in 2023, our flagship initiative SHE FLIES continued to take flight in just its second full year. The initiative continued to grow and expand its important work to connect girls and women to sports participation and communities in Oregon. As a testament to this growth – and thanks largely to a generous contribution from Alaska Airlines – Sport Oregon delivered on its promise to award substantially more funding through its SHE FLIES Community Grant program. This year, SHE FLIES awarded over $117,000 in total funds to eight deserving non-profits in Oregon.
We were thrilled to host our first Big Swing Golf Tournament powered by PNC. The inaugural event, held in September, was a resounding success and raised over $70,000 for our organization while offering an elevated golf experience for our many members, partners and like-minded organizations.
As we put a bow on 2023, we look back with a great sense of accomplishment at the year that was in Oregon sports, and the resulting impact the many events and attractions had on our state. It, once again, was a year rich with rewards, and there is a tangible sense of excitement as we look ahead to all the developments that lie ahead in 2024 and beyond.
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It was a remarkable year for events in our state in 2023. Look no further than Portland International Raceway (PIR), which continues to be a key venue for attracting major events to Oregon. In 2023, working with our partners at Green Savoree Racing, Portland continued to be an emerging destination for motorsports, as we welcomed the state’s first-ever FIA Formula E race in June. This addition made PIR the only track in the world to host these three major circuit races, as Portland once again welcomed the NASCAR Xfinity Series in June and the NTT INDYCAR Series in September.
Active sports fans and participants were treated to another banner year, as the USATF Championships were held at Hayward Field in Eugene in July, and the IRONMAN 70.3 OREGON was once again staged in Salem in July. Area golf enthusiasts were treated to the U.S. Women’s Senior Open Championship at Waverly Country Club in August and the LPGA Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater over Labor Day weekend.
Throughout the year, we welcomed a wide range of additional events that helped drive impact for Oregon, including the HoopSource Presidents’ Day Basketball tournament (February), the USA Taekwondo Western Grand Prix (May), the Triple Crown Valley Invite (June), the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo (June), the National Gay Basketball Association Championships (June), National Veterans Wheelchair Games (July), and the Ladies Ball Western Regional (August).
In terms of professional team sports, we welcomed the addition of the Rip City Remix, an NBA G League development team for the Portland Trail Blazers, and we continue to support the ongoing efforts to bring WNBA and MLB to Portland.
While we celebrate the many achievements of 2023, we remain hard at work and eagerly look forward to a host of marquee events in the coming year.
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In April, Sport Oregon is teaming up with Travel Portland and the Oregon Convention Center to host the Sports ETA Symposium, an annual meeting of the Sports Events & Tourism Association. The event is expected to attract upwards of 1,000 attendees, with an estimated 3,000-plus room nights being occupied over the course of the event that matches sports destinations and event decision-makers responsible for producing various sporting events.
The Sports ETA Symposium will be held on the heels of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament Regional, which will be held at Moda Center from March 29-April 1. Portland will send two teams to the Women’s Final Four in Cleveland.
Sports fans will want to make sure to circle June on their calendars, too, as the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track & field will be held at Eugene’s Hayward Field from June 21-30, and Formula E makes its return to PIR June 29-30.
On May 10, we will be hosting our annual Fuel the Future fundraising event, which will be held at the Multnomah Athletic Club to benefit the Sport Oregon Foundation and our SHE FLIES initiative. Also in 2024, we will continue supporting redevelopment plans to transform the Expo Center into a sports-focused facility.
At Sport Oregon, we are so fortunate to have such tremendous support in all that we do. Ultimately, sports provide our state with so much. They bond us, entertain us, rally us, encourage us and improve our quality of life in so many ways. This time of year, in particular, we are honored to express our gratitude for everyone’s support of Sport Oregon, and we wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
Jim Etzel
CEO
Sports Tourism
This past year has proven to be an extension of the success we enjoyed in 2022 in sports tourism. As we ended last year with arguably the most significant event win in our city’s history – landing the 2030 NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four – that momentum has carried on throughout 2023 as well. New events, stronger partnerships, and a dedicated team to carry-out our mission have all contributed to a strong, impact-inducing year.
Staffing
Internal staff promotions provided the opportunity to expand our team on the tourism side.
Jenn Dooher was promoted from within to lead our Portland-focused sports tourism efforts as the Director of Sports Tourism.
Jenn was then able to bring on board Natasha Reyes as our Sports Tourism Services Manager, and the team is thriving with these two at the helm.
Their everyday work continues to focus on not only driving economic impact to Portland through tourism events, conventions, and meetings, but also in servicing those groups in order to rebook and maintain a consistent flow of business for Portland hotels and venues.
Travel Portland
No relationship is more important to our sports tourism team than our connection to Travel Portland, which again provided an increase of funding to us from 2022 to 2023. Travel Portland’s resources and confidence in us have driven our everyday work, travel, and financial mechanism to incentivize clients in the Portland area. We have acted as an extension of each other’s sales teams, and the results have been gratifying for both organizations. In May, Sport Oregon was honored to receive the prestigious 2022 Portland Award from Travel Portland. The Portland Award recognizes the greatest overall contribution to Portland’s Visitor Industry. Governor Tina Kotek and Travel Portland CEO Jeff Miller presented the award to Sport Oregon CEO Jim Etzel at Travel Portland’s Annual Tourism and Hospitality Industry Awards Celebration.
Expo Center
As a long-term project, our team’s deep involvement with the Portland Expo Redevelopment Project has been worthwhile and fruitful thus far. As Expo looks to shift its focus toward becoming a sports-centric facility, Sport Oregon’s tourism team has been actively involved on multiple committees, has weekly calls with Expo/Metro, and is leaned upon for feedback and guidance in the sports world. It is extremely important for Sport Oregon to lend its expertise and relationships to this project, in order to push forward the plan for Expo to become a world-class sports venue.
Notable Tourism
Our team played a crucial role in hosting a number of sporting events in our region this year, including the USA Taekwondo Grand Prix at the Oregon Convention Center, along with providing support to the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo at the Portland Expo Center. Portland was also ground-zero for women’s golf in the late summer and early fall, hosting the annual LPGA Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater, along with the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Waverly Country Club. Sport Oregon was also heavily involved in making Portland International Raceway the only track in the world to host three signature professional auto racing events this summer, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and FIA Formula E events taking place in June, as well as our annual NTT INDYCAR Series race over Labor Day Weekend.
Sports tourism continues to be a primary focus of our organization, and has proved to be a tremendous growth opportunity for Sport Oregon. We’d shown growth in several ways in each year of our tourism department’s existence, and the sky is the limit on where we could see our fingerprints in the years to come.
Sports Tourism Events
Foundation
It’s hard to believe SHE FLIES, the flagship initiative of the Sport Oregon Foundation, is only in its second year. With its mission of keeping girls in the game, empowering women coaches, and promoting fitness for life, it continues to resonate with many, including corporate partners, Sport Oregon members, donors, and community partners. SHE FIES is timely, relevant, and critically important to close the gender gap in sports participation and engagement. Through our grants, community events, storytelling, partnerships, and networks, SHE FLIES continues to grow and expand its critical work to connect girls and women to sports participation and communities in Oregon. We enthusiastically continue our work using sports as a catalyst to help girls and women overcome barriers and challenges to unleash their full potential in life.
Community Grants
We delivered on our promise to award more funds to Oregon non-profits through our SHE FLIES Community Grants program this year, thanks largely to a generous contribution from Alaska Airlines. In 2023, we ended up awarding eight well-deserving Oregon non-profits $117,410 in total funding. We applaud the work of our 2023 grant recipients, Adaptive Sports Northwest, Adelante Mujeres, Bridge City Soccer Academy, Elite Sports Academy, Friends of Baseball, Girls on the Run Greater Oregon, Portland Tennis & Education, and Special Olympics Oregon.
Impact
In 2023, we saw the increasing need for our grant program with a 35-percent increase in grant applications, year-over-year. It is a clear indication that the core mission of the SHE FLIES Community Grant program resonates with many people, programs and organizations across the state. Since its inception, the SHE FLIES Community Grant program has given $142,410 to support programs and initiatives to 14 different Oregon non-profits that work day in and day out fulfilling the SHE FLIES mission.
Community Engagement
SHE FLIES acts as a connector and trusted voice to create and foster safe spaces, where all girls and women feel like they can take flight into the many positive benefits of sports participation. To celebrate the 37th-annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) in February, SHE FLIES hosted a panel at PNC Live Studio. This free SHE FLIES panel brought the community together to celebrate our local SHE FLIES Sheros and the many individual and team achievements in the state since the last NGWSD celebration.
Community Festival
In May, the SHE FLIES Community Festival to honor our 2023 SHE FLIES grantees and highlight many aligned organizations, non-profits, small businesses, and partners. Held in North Portland’s Overlook Park, the free neighborhood event created a space for community members and families to discover organizations directly aligned with the SHE FLIES mission. More than 25 community partners, non-profits, and small businesses hosted booths with interactive sports activations, including the Rose City Rollers skatemobile, and MLK Dream Run’s live podcast. The event featured free live fitness classes for all ages from barre3 and Pivot PDX, an educational panel featuring some of the 2022 grant recipients, and a highlight ceremony celebrating the 2023 SHE FLIES Community Grant recipients with opening remarks from Senator Ron Wyden.
Partnership Highlights
In 2023, we again experienced the validation of the need and interest for an initiative like SHE FLIES, through investments and commitments from corporate partners and individuals. Throughout the 2023 Portland Thorns FC NWSL season, KeyBank committed to donating $5,000 – and up to $200,000 in total – for every assist by a Thorns player through the KeyBank Assist Off the Pitch initiative. In October, as a result of this community initiative, KeyBank awarded SHE FLIES $50,000 by virtue of the Thorns’ success on the pitch this year. KeyBank partnered with the Thorns and team captain Meghan Klingenberg to create “Assist Off the Pitch.”
For the second year in a row, SHE FLIES was chosen to be the beneficiary of the Red Gala held at the iconic Bodecker Foundation in April. SHE FLIES was able to collaborate with the event organizers, make connections, expand our network, and engage Skate Like A Girl, a local non-profit and 2022 SHE FLIES Grant recipient whose skaters participated in the event. Proceeds from the auction and raffle sales benefited SHE FLIES.
Our Young Professionals Board jumped on the latest sports trend and held an inaugural Pickleball Tournament Fundraiser in August at RECS. The fundraiser was a smashing success with 17 registered teams and multiple corporate sponsors, ultimately raising over $7,400 for SHE FLIES.
Elevating Voices
SHE FLIES believes “you can’t be what you can’t see,” and has continued to grow our platform to elevate the presence and voices of girls and women in sports. Most notably, our SHE FLIES Stories content series continues to feature the inspirational stories of female athletes throughout Oregon.
To learn more about SHE FLIES and our mission to uplift and empower girls and women through sport, visit sheflies.org. Subscribe to our SHE FLIES monthly e-newsletter for our SHE FLIES Stories content, events, programs, and to learn how you can support girls and women in sports.
Brand Initiatives
In July 2022, Sport Oregon began to invest in growing our digital audience for the first time in our history. This year started strong with momentum surging from big wins like the Women’s Final Four bid and the Holiday Bash benefitting SHE FLIES. In January, Cory Hansen was promoted from within to Director of Brand, tasked with enhancing the organization’s brand, elevating partnerships, and building community across digital channels. Marrying strategy and design, he leads the organization’s modern marketing, social media, and content creation efforts. In 2024, Sport Oregon will become the premier digital property for sports commissions and sports tourism brands in the country, elevating and amplifying our partners along the way.
Viral VIdeo
There is no greater example of Sport Oregon uplifting a partner than the viral video we created with Portland State University. Leaning into the “you too” trend on social media, we pitched an adventurous video concept to the Vikings and President Ann Cudd in which she would pretend to join the football team. Instead of the rejection we expected, she bought in fully. Sport Oregon produced the project, which quickly went viral on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. It had a reach of 21 million and provided at least $40,000 in advertising value. The video was featured and reposted by the NFL and ESPN’s SportsCenter, among others. We were credited as the creator in what ended up being a huge win for Portland State and Sport Oregon.
Sustained Success
It wasn’t an accident that we fell into this viral video, as we’ve been putting in the work for 18 months now. In that time, we’ve produced over 100 feature videos and hundreds of shorter reels. Our LinkedIn following has doubled. Our Instagram following has doubled. With Instagram being our priority, we stack up favorably amongst our list of 17 peer sports commissions. Since April, our Instagram following grew 24 percent — twice as fast as the only two sports tourism brands in the country with larger followings — Tampa and Indianapolis. And while we may not have another viral moment for a while, we’re going to keep trying and have fun doing it.
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Away from social media, Sport Oregon continues to advance important marketing initiatives. Our bi-weekly blog and newsletter consistently provide professional updates on compelling stories around the state. Subscribe to our newsletter.
Events
In February, Kiki Zeise joined the team as our new Events Manager. She leads the planning and execution of all events listed below, along with a full calendar of Sport Oregon Foundation events. Originally from Minnesota, Kiki received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and her MBA from the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. She previously worked in Major League Baseball and the sports product industry. Kiki hit the ground running in her first year, elevating our events efforts across the board.
WAVOR
WAVOR — standing for Washington vs. Oregon — once again graced the April calendar, and continued to claim its status as the premier all-star prep basketball game in the region. WAVOR boasted impressive lineups, with over 20 Division I commitments spread across the boys and girls teams from both states. While Sport Oregon will no longer own and operate this event going forward, WAVOR was met with positive feedback from partners and participants, with the event well positioned for growth in 2024.
SHE FLIES COmmunity Festival
The second edition of the SHE FLIES Community Festival debuted a new venue at Overlook Park, featuring a variety of community partners from sports organizations to youth development programs. Free and fun family fitness classes were provided by Pivot PDX and barre3. Senator Ron Wyden made an appearance at the festival, speaking about the power of girls and women in sport and the excitement of potentially bringing the WNBA to Portland.
Big Swing Golf Tournament
Sport Oregon's inaugural Big Swing Golf Tournament teed off in style in September at Willamette Valley Country Club. This landmark event marked a resounding success for the organization, setting the stage for a bright future. The tournament featured 25 teams, paired with a Sport Oregon ambassador, creating a synergy of sportsmanship and camaraderie. With praise from both participants and vendors, this tournament has firmly established itself as a fixture on the annual calendar, promising to be a perennial highlight for years to come.
Strategic Partnerships
Our Strategic Partnerships team is dedicated to overseeing all aspects of revenue for the corporation and Sport Oregon Foundation. This includes managing the sale, solicitation, execution, service, renewal and retention of all memberships, sponsorships, hospitality collective events, donations, and foundation partnerships.
New Hires
In April, we proudly announced Kristin Spear would be joining our team as our Director of Strategic Partnerships. Kristin’s extensive background in sales, coupled with her deep-seated passion for sports and community involvement, made her the perfect fit for this role. Her proven track record in establishing significant partnerships and her unwavering dedication to our organizational mission has played a vital role in cultivating and expanding relationships with both new and existing partners.
In July, Anita Moreno joined the team as our Member Relations Manager, supporting all aspects of partner relations. Adding this position has helped increase communication and engagement with members and will play a pivotal role in building lasting relationships with partners.
Big Swing Golf Tournament
In September, the inaugural Sport Oregon Big Swing Golf Tournament powered by PNC was a resounding success. This event not only raised funds for our organization but also offered an elevated golf experience on a beautiful day in the Willamette Valley. The Sport Oregon community came together to support our mission to drive positive social and economic impact in Oregon through sport. The Big Swing provided a new opportunity for Sport Oregon investors and members to network with other like-minded organizations, mingle with some of Portland’s most well-known sports personalities, enjoy a fantastic round of golf and raise over $70,000 for the 501c6 Sport Oregon corporation.
Hospitality Collective
Throughout the summer, we continued to leverage a full-scale return of sports into a winning evolution with the Sport Oregon Hospitality Collectives. Partners were able to secure premium tickets for the biggest motorsport race events in the state, including NASCAR, the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland and with the introduction of Formula E, a pioneering racing event that has been net zero since its inception and boasts the exclusive North American stop right here in Portland.
oregon Sports Awards
Wrapping up the year, we launched the Oregon Sports Awards: Rising Star Series, a collaborative effort with The Oregonian Media Group. For over seven decades, the Oregon Sports Awards have been a platform to celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of Oregon’s prep athletes, collegians, amateurs, professional teams and coaches. In a tradition that spans generations, today’s exceptional athletes earn their well-deserved recognition, joining the illustrious ranks of Oregon sports legends and contributing to the storied athletic heritage of our state.
External Affairs
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The bill, HB 2023, failed to make it through the 2022 legislative session- even though it had unanimous bi-partisan support from the House Economic Development Committee. It proposed to provide financial support to local jurisdictions(with an emphasis on rural and suburban communities) and non-profits that wish to hold regional and statewide youth-focused sporting events. After internal discussions and conferring with legislative leaders in the state house and senate, in addition to making the focus on youth and jurisdictions, we added the dimension of youth sport as a tool in combating mental illness and drug dependency. We plan on re-introducing this in the 2024 short session.
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The Sport Oregon team remained engaged in the effort by Metro to redevelop the Portland Expo Center into a sports-focused facility. We have provided consistent context as to how the Expo site could fill a void of the lack of sports facilities in the Pacific Northwest. The use as a multi-sport complex will be a “game changer” to Portland and the region. Our staff has been regularly engaged with the Metro team – along with its hired consultant – to make the project a reality in north Portland. We see the nexus between Portland International Raceway, Delta Park and a reimagined Expo as a thrilling opportunity for the City and the region. Sport Oregon staff sits on both the Executive Advisory Committee and the Sports & Facilities Committee of the Expo Future Project. We maintain appropriate and consistent communication with committee members and Expo leadership on the sports approach to the site.
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Sports Betting, while not a priority in the current state administration; we continue to monitor activity in other states and how the passage of legislation and implementation is moving ahead. The US sports betting industry is in its sixth year of regulated operations and omitting Nevada, operators have so far combined to generate more than $21 billion of revenue from upwards of $260 billion in total wagers. Oregon revenue for the current period (running total) is $153,040,186 compared to the state leader New Jersey whose revenue is $2,967,460,730.
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Sport Oregon submitted its Annual Report to the City of Portland for the period July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The report highlights the successes and recovery/impact to Portland that has resulted in a remarkable year of success at multiple levels. The report cites the use of all its resources, relationships, knowledge, and expertise with stakeholder community partners including Travel Portland, Oregon Business and Industry, Prosper Portland, Portland Metro Chamber, Travel Oregon, Oregon Convention Center, Metro, Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Timbers, Portland Thorns, Greater Portland Inc., and others to effectively drive and contribute to the economic recovery efforts in Portland through sports tourism. A full presentation to the city council was made in November 2023. All Commissioners praised the report and the successes accomplished by Sport Oregon.
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Sport Oregon’s CEO was asked to facilitate a listening session to support the revitalization of downtown Portland and neighboring areas for Governor Kotek’s Portland Central City Task Force. The Task Force announced their plan and next steps at the December 11 Oregon Business Summit and will carry out their work over the next few years. The Value Proposition committee, one of five, is charged with building on recent planning and implementation efforts and advancing a compelling vision for the future and identifying key steps needed to achieve it, with a focus on employment, housing, shops and restaurants, arts and culture, education, and tourism. To inform their work, the committee is convening 20+ listening sessions in all Central City neighborhoods and for the “building blocks” of downtown (e.g., housing, hotels, arts/culture, etc.). As a facilitator, Jim led discussions that will shape the future of Central City Portland by ensuring a diverse range of perspectives are heard.
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The future of Portland’s political landscape is beginning to materialize. Partners and leaders throughout Portland have gathered to build United for Portland, a 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 non-profit coalition to ensure elected officials remain focused to solve today’s challenges, most importantly improving the livability and economy of our city and region. United for Portland’s 501(c)3 will work with partners to consistently educate elected officials, candidates, civic leaders, and the community on the priorities voters want to have addressed and potential solutions to these top tier problems facing our community It will focus on polling and research in Portland and Multnomah County. The 501(c)4 will educate candidates for office about issues affecting the city and region and help them understand how to communicate those issues with voters. United for Portland will also support a suite of pragmatic, problem-solving candidates and train them in how to run modern, strategic, winning campaigns.
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Sport Oregon was a lead supporter of a grant proposal submitted by Portland Metro Chamber to Business Oregon to support what is being called Centers of Innovation Excellence (“CIEs”).
As a follow-up to the State of Sport report, the coalition proposed a state-wide network for CIEs, or ‘hubs’ that form a connection of regional initiatives to foster the deployment of new products, services and processes in the Athletic, Outdoor, Team and Recreation business ecosystem. This was to be accomplished through the existing coalition of private, academic and philanthropic entities from diverse regions across the state and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately, the grant was not funded by Business Oregon. However, a meeting was convened with a representative from the Governor's office to discuss how the Athletic, Outdoor, Team and Recreation business ecosystem can gain the recognition and support it warrants.
BOARD DIRECTORY
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