NCAA women’s tournament return to Portland could bring the city an economic boost

The last time Portland hosted part of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament was 2019, the University of Oregon was among the nation’s top teams, and the now-legendary Duck Sabrina Ionescu was shattering records.

Fans from all over the state and country traveled to the city to watch the UO women punch their first-ever ticket to the Final Four.

Starting on Friday, Portland once again is hosting part of the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 for the NCAAW tournament. But things look a little different than in 2019 – namely, no Oregon teams will be playing in Portland. (Side note: The Oregon State Beavers play their sweet 16 game at the tournament’s other regional site in Albany, New York.)

Still, sports business experts say this tournament is slated to have a bigger economic impact on Portland than 2019. They credit the climbing popularity of women’s basketball, especially in Portland, and a change in the tournament format.

In 2019 the tournament generated just over $1 million in direct economic impact, and teams and media booked around 1,600 hotel rooms, said Matt Reed with Sport Oregon, a sports tourism nonprofit that works with Travel Oregon to collect data on events like the NCAA tournament.

Since then, the NCAA decided to play the Sweet 16 at fewer sites. That means twice as many teams will play in Portland.

“This year, it’s over $3 million of economic impact with just under 3,500 hotel rooms,” Reed said. “And the hotel rooms are important, because that does not take into account fans traveling – that’s only room blocks for teams and alumni groups and media and NCAA.”

Reed expects spending from tourists will bring an even bigger financial bump to the region this weekend.

One place those tourists will likely want to go is the nationally-known bar in Northeast Portland that only plays women’s sports, the Sports Bra.

“We get a lot of out-of-towners that come to the Bra and have it on their bucket list,” Jenny Nguyen, owner of the business, said. “It’s very humbling to hear that people talk about the Sports Bra in the way that it puts Portland on the map for women’s sports.”

Nguyen says her crew is preparing to be extra busy during March Madness – both because of travelers to Portland for the games, and locals looking for a place to watch the tournament.

Because the Sports Bra is a small space, able to accommodate about 50 people, Nguyen expects there to be spillover to other area sports bars.

“Last year, we found that a really great way to just help everybody is to contact our neighbors – any bars or even places that just have TVs that are within a couple miles of the Sports Bra – and get a list on the door for people to navigate to different spaces if we’re full,” Nguyen said. “Mostly we’re just trying to make sure that people have a place to watch the game.”

The Sports Bra is also hosting a watch party at the Spirit of 77, which Nguyen said can hold 300 people. TOGETHXR, a media and clothing company founded by athletes including basketball legend Sue Bird, is helping with the watch party along with partner Aflac Insurance. The event, which is free and open to the public on a first come first serve basis, is expected to draw WNBA stars like Diana Taurausi and Nneka Ogwumike to Portland.

The success of the Sports Bra is the latest example of Portland’s growing reputation as a destination for women’s sports fans, according to Lauren Anderson, director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon.

“Portland’s a city that people like to come to,” Anderson said. “And we are so supportive of our women’s sports in the college space and in the pros.”

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Anderson points to higher-than-average attendance for the Thorns, Portland’s professional women’s soccer team.

And concerning this year’s basketball tournament, Anderson said something special is happening.

“It is a different kind of fandom,” she said. “People are super passionate.”

In addition to media attention on long-time powerhouse programs like the University of Connecticut and Stanford, Anderson said, there are more stories about individual players from lesser-known teams.

“The broadcasters have been so smart and the media has been so smart about telling the story and bringing people in,” Anderson said. “And that’s what people stay for.”

Back at Sport Oregon, Reed said as women’s basketball garners more fans, Portland stands to benefit if it continues to support events like the NCAA women’s tournament.

And, the city will get another chance: The NCAA chose the Moda Center to host the 2030 women’s final four.

“The Women’s Final Four is really going to be our Super Bowl,” Reed said.