1. REFLECTIVE RESPONSE #2 MLB EXPANSION TEAM IN PORTLAND, OREGON
Reflective Response #2 MLB Expansion Team in Portland, Oregon
Anthony J. Moscaret
Northeastern University

2. REFLECTIVE RESPONSE #2 MLB EXPANSION TEAM IN PORTLAND, OREGON
Looking at branding in sports it starts with something that includes the following “name, logo and
symbols that are related with a sports organization”. (Mullin, Hardy, Sutton, p 172) Now applying
what branding in sports means to creating a Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the city of
Portland, Oregon, you have to see what will grab the attention of the everyday baseball fan and
the non-traditional baseball fan.
After researching the city of Portland, it has a lot more to offer people than just being a
west coast city with an MLS team, a NBA team and a minor league hockey team. The city offers
a variety of different things, from night life to great festivals. One of the biggest things that
Portland is known for are its “roses, because of the areas climate; it is a good place to grow
them”. (PVA, 2012) The city also gives you the new feeling of a modern city as well as the old
feel of a city when it is just starting out. Outside of what the city is known for, the environment
and landscape of the mountains give the area a very unique feel and something different that not
many places can offer. All of this and more can be found on www.travelportland.com.
The team name that I came up with that I feel fits the Portland area and the city is the
“Portland Peaks”. When looking at the surrounding area of Portland, the mountains over look
the city, another name for them is peaks. I also choose this name because someone can refer to it
as the mountains are peaking in on the city to see what the area has to offer people. When
selecting a name for any professional team, you want the name to have something to do with the
area. Lots of teams for example use state birds as their mascots and team names; good example
of this is when the Atlanta Thrashers (NHL team) were still around. The name Thrashers actually
refers to the state bird of Georgia. The logo then was designed to give it some attitude and show
how strong it can be. With the logo for the Portland Peaks, I would have it be a design of a top
of a mountain because when mountain climbing, the higher you get the more dangerous it

3. REFLECTIVE RESPONSE #2 MLB EXPANSION TEAM IN PORTLAND, OREGON
becomes, but then I would add in some sort of eyes to give it the effect of looking in or down on
the city.
When looking at brand association with a team there are seven things that can help build
a strong brand. Those seven things are: “1) Logo, marks, nickname and mascot, 2) owners, 3)
players, 4) head coaches, 5) rivalries, 6) entertainment package surrounding the game or event,
and the 7) stadium or arena in which a team plays”. (Mullin, Hardy, Sutton, p 179) After know
the seven things for brand association, the name Peaks works out well for the team. When it
comes to players and coaches baseball operations will determine who they feel will be a good fit
for the team to win and for the area that we are in. All branding for that area will be based on
who is brought in. Looking at rivalries in the MLB, the biggest one will be against the Seattle
Mariners and if we are in the same league or only play inter-league play against them a lot can be
done. We brand it as battle for the Northwest Region of the US.
When it comes to entertainment and the stadium, branding it will be different then most
teams. We would try to encompass different things about the area and events into the stadium.
One major thing is to make sure the stadium has a good view of the city and the mountains when
sitting directly behind home plate. By encompassing different things about the area and having
promotions that include different things around the area, to attract baseball fans and non-baseball
fans. Branding a team like the Peaks in this part of the country will have to work on showing that
we care about everyone and we want them to be part of what we do here and that a baseball
game is the bonus.

4. REFLECTIVE RESPONSE #2 MLB EXPANSION TEAM IN PORTLAND, OREGON
Work Cited
Mullin, Bernard J., Hardy, Stephen, Sutton, William A. (2007) Sport Marketing Third Edition.
United States of America: Human Kinetics.
Portland’s Visitor Association (PVA). Retrieved from http://www.travelportland.com/ in text:
(PVA, 2012)