Think Out Loud What 2024 may hold for the Portland Thorns
The Portland Thorns have a new owner. Meritt Paulson sold to RAJ Sports, the sister and brother company that owns other franchises, including a stake in the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. The sale was more than a year in the making and came after years of investigations and reports of sexual harassment and abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League and the Thorns specifically.
Other changes for the Portland team are in the offing, with the seasonal draft just around the corner. The team already lost two players in the December expansion draft due to a couple of new teams in the league: Bay FC in San Jose and the Utah Royals near Salt Lake City. We learn more about what new ownership will mean and the impact of draft changes from Associated Press sports reporter Anne Peterson and Gabby Rosas, chair of the Rose City Riveters and 107IST president.