Portland 2016: Sportlandia Part 1

The  view of field and stadium at Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns, while standing on the actual field 

Immediately following the end of the spring academic semester, I joined 23 other University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students on a trip to Portland, Oregon for an industry immersion course. Basically, we went to Portland to learn more about the sports media industry in conjunction with the course we took during the second half of the semester.

I was in Portland for six full days and got to see a lot of interesting things and learned a lot from our immersion visits. We did quite a bit in a short period of time, so my blogs about my trip to Portland will be split into three: two about the actual sports media visits and one about what I did in my free time.

The blogs about the actual sports media visits will be called "Sportlandia," a play on Portland, the show Portlandia, and the hashtag and group name we used on social media. Part one of Sportlandia will focus on the more sports-focused visits.

Providence Park and Portland Timbers T2 Game

Our sports immersion trip ended and began in Providence Park, the home of Portland's professional soccer teams: the Portland Timbers (MLS) and the Portland Thorns (NWSL).

On Monday, May 16, we toured the stadium. We got to go on the field (as pictured in the post header), see the visiting team's locker room, and see the various suites and special seating areas. Our tour guide was a woman who worked at the gate but has worked at the stadium for quite a while ― even before it was a soccer stadium, I believe ― so she was able to give us a lot of history on the stadium and told us what the stadium is like on a Timbers game day.

I didn't really have any expectations for the Providence Park visit since I'd never been to a soccer stadium before, but it was definitely cool to be able to tour it, go in the basement area, and go on the field.

We ended our immersion activities Friday with a trip to the Portland Timbers T2 game, meaning we saw the Timbers' B-team play, who actually are in the USL instead of MLS.

Before the game began, we got to the stadium about an hour or so early to speak with the Timbers' and Thorns' president of business, Mike Golub. Golub was eager to answer all of our questions and really stood out of all the speakers we had. Whenever someone had a question, he would ask him/her for his/her name first, which was something no one else we spoke with that week did. So I was impressed by that and how he took the initiative to make a personal connection with us.

I believe Golub was only supposed to speak with us for about 10 minutes but actually spent about 45 minutes with us, so that was really gracious of him to give up so much of his time for us.

Portland Timbers T2 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

After the Q & A, we headed to our seats to watch the game. Many of us grabbed concessions before and during, and my sister and I checked out the Timbers store during halftime. Unfortunately, the Timbers lost to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC2, but I still enjoyed attending my first professional soccer game.

The Timbers army releasing yellow smoke after the Timbers scored a goal.

Moda Center/Portland Trailblazers

The other professional sports arena we visited was the Moda Center, home of the NBA's Portland Trailblazers.

Our visit at the Moda Center began with a panel of about 10 people who work for the Trailblazers, the Moda Center, or the Rose Quarter (the area the Moda Center is in, which includes multiple venues). The areas of expertise from the panel members ranged from front office work to communications and content to event management to fan experience. So we were able to ask a wide variety of people questions depending on what our interests are.

White roses sit outside the Moda Center and the Rose Qaurter. The Moda Center was named the Rose Quarter.

After the panel, our class toured the Moda Center, which definitely topped the Providence Park tour. We got to go in the Portland Trailblazers locker room ― the actual locker room the NBA players use! None of the players were there, but to respect their privacy and their locker room being their sanctuary, we weren't allowed to take any photos in the locker room. But it was still awesome! I got to see all of the players' names above their lockers, which were pretty much empty since their season recently ended. The locker room was actually our first stop of the tour.

In addition, we got to see the workout room, the hot/cold tub room, and the Trailblazers' broadcasting studio. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go out on the court (or where the court would be) because there was a CrossFit event there at the time, but we got to see the cool features of the 300-level. The Blazers are trying to make the 300-level as appealing and fun as possible, especially to families, because realistically, families and kids aren't going to get the best seats.

The 300-level bar provides a great view of Portland!

We didn't get to see everything the organization was going to show us because we ran out of time and had another visit to attend, but what they did provide was outstanding. It was nice to be able to compare what the Blazers had to offer compared to the Timbers and Thorns.

Also, my sister and I were hoping we'd be able to meet Trailblazer Meyers Leonard, who is a former Illinois basketball player, but he wasn't able to make it the day we were there. He did, however, like my tweet about not meeting him but enjoying the visit!

Didn't meet @MeyersLeonard11 but still enjoyed the visit. Thanks, @ModaCenter and @trailblazers! #IllinoiSportlandia pic.twitter.com/e9o2dl9Due

— Amanda Wijangco (@amanda_carmela) May 19, 2016

Nike

I was definitely most excited to visit Nike World Headquarters. They're not actually in Portland, but they're only about 20 minutes outside the city in Beaverton.

We were welcomed to the sportswear brand's world headquarters by a fellow Illini, Chris Beard, who works with basketball and social media. Beard led us to the Joan Benoit Samuelson building where we had lunch. The cafeteria in the JBS building is just one of their cafeterias, but it was pretty big and nice. There are a bunch of framed Sports Illustrated issues on the walls there, so it's cool to take some time and look at those.

We got to eat with the rest of the Nike employees and visitors there, so it sort of felt like we worked there. Also, the food was delicious, and they had a variety of options. I had a yummy grilled chicken sandwich, a salad (which was actually just spinach and broccoli in a bowl because I don't actually like salad or dressing), some fruit, and a huge chocolate chip cookie. Their chocolate chip cookies are delicious and are definitely one of the best cookies I've ever had. They're huge, soft, and chewy. So if you ever get the chance to eat there, I'd recommend getting a cookie!

The gymnastics icons on the glass on top of the cafeteria seating (L-R: trampoline, men's artistic, women's artistic)

Anyway, after lunch, we went on a tour of the campus. Our class split into two groups to make it more efficient. Our tour guide, who Nike refers to as storytellers, was Ashley, who has only been working at Nike for about nine months. Being the gym nerd that I am, Ashley reminded me of 2008 Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone.

We walked all over the campus, which is huge, and we even got to go inside some of the buildings, like the Tiger Woods Building, the Michael Jordan Building, and one of the fitness centers. During the tour, we learned all about the history of Nike and how the brand came to be. It lasted about 45 minutes, and by the time it was done, my feet were too. (Don't wear heels or any uncomfortable shoes to Nike. I had to change into sandals afterwards. I just wore the heels to make sure I was dressed business casual enough. Thankfully, sandals were appropriate attire as well.)

Lake Nike

Our last activity for the Nike visit was a presentation about the history of Nike and a mini Q & A session with Chris Beard, the fellow Illini. The presentation was a bit repetitive of what we had just heard on the tour, but it was still informational. The Q & A session with Chris finally gave us some insight into what we as a class we looking for, which was Nike and sports media. I was still relatively pleased with the Nike visit, though. After all, it was just impressive to be on their campus.

However, we were all upset that we were unable to shop at the Nike employee store. A group of 24 people (26 including our instructors) is too many to go in the employee store for Nike's liking. We were hoping to ask if we could split the class into two and go into the store one group after another, but we ran out of time and had to head to our next event.

Adidas

We visited Nike's rival, Adidas, the next day.

I wasn't sure of what to expect of Adidas' North American headquarters. Unlike Nike, I'd never seen pictures of it or heard about it. I was impressed, though.

Our day at Adidas began with a short presentation and a long but informational Q & A session. We got to learn about Adidas' women's initiative, its sustainability efforts and how Adidas is really trying to target and focus on millennials. It was a great opportunity for us to ask about what we were interested in and what our focus was in the class.

Afterwards, we toured the campus. Photography wasn't allowed in many of the places we were shown, but we did get to see a few of the buildings and rooms.

We got to see some of the office space the employees work in day-in and day-out, giving us the feel of the workplace and environment, something Nike didn't provide. WE even got to see a production room where seamstresses make shoes! It was definitely cool to see the shoes deconstructed and how they are put together.

The tour wasn't very long, and we didn't see as many places as we did at Nike, but that's totally fine because our tour guide Tom wanted to give us as much time as possible to shop at the Adidas employee store! How nice of him!

So before heading to lunch, we stopped by the Adidas employee store and took advantage of the great deal offered there: 50% nearly everything! I’m not sure how long we had to shop, but I felt it went by very quickly. I got a few things there, including some new shoes, but I'll share those details in a later blog post. 

Before I knew it, it was time to quickly eat lunch at the Adidas cafeteria before our next immersion stop. Adidas' cafeteria was much smaller than Nike's, but Adidas' campus is just smaller to begin with, and parts of the buildings are under construction (the cafeteria building being one of them.)

Columbia

While Columbia isn't the biggest sportswear brand out there ― some may not even realize it's a sportswear brand or consider it to be one ― our visit to their headquarters most definitely exceeded my expectations!

It wasn't hard to exceed them considering I didn't have much or any expectations about our visit to Columbia, but I was blown away by what they provided us.

We headed to Columbia around 7:30 a.m., our earliest start time yet. When we arrived, we were instantly greeted by our hosts, including CEO Tim Boyle!

Once again, our class was split in two as we toured the Columbia campus. A few highlights of the tour for me included seeing the model store display and fake storefront assembled in one of Columbia’s buildings. I found it very cool and thought Columbia was very dedicated for turning what was a conference room into a fake store to demonstrate what a Columbia retail store could look like.

A fake storefront in the Columbia headquarters

Following the tour were presentations and Q & A’s. Columbia’s presentations focused on media relations, PR and social media, which are important aspects of sports media. Columbia’s employees did a phenomenal job with those presentations, and I definitely could see how someone in the journalism field like myself plays a role in these companies and their work.

I also thought it was a great experience for us to participate in a mock PR activity, which followed the presentations and talk. It was nice to do a hands-on activity that simulated a real-world problem we could encounter in the sports media industry.

Our last Q & A session at Columbia was the most prestigious in terms of who we were questioning. We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Gert Boyle, the chairman and daughter of the founder of Columbia Sportswear, and Tim Boyle, the aforementioned CEO, who is also Gert’s son. What an incredible opportunity Columbia provided us in letting us speak with such successful and important people!

Gert Boyle, the chairman of Columbia, and Tim Boyle, the CEO

The hospitality continued as Columbia provided us with a nice and simple lunch. They provided soft drinks, salad, and everything needed to make a sandwich. Columbia really left a great impression with the amount of effort and care put into our visit.

To end our visit at Columbia, we conquered the employee store. Columbia actually owns three other brands: Sorel, Mountain Hardwear and Prana. So we got the chance to discover those products as well. I'll share what I bought there in a future post.



What would you want to see when visiting a professional sports venue or sportswear headquarters?


Portland 2016 blogs:
Portland 2016: Sportlandia Part 2
Portland 2016: Food in the City of Roses
Portland 2016: A Glance at the City of Roses
Portland 2016: Shopping Haul