Last month, the Portland Fire unveiled “Rose,” the Glitter-Breathing Dragon, as their official mascot during the halftime of the team’s game against the Washington Mystics. As fans across leagues already know, teams put a lot of thought into creating their mascot, who can represent the team, the spirit of the city, and, more importantly, its fans. But before fans ever saw Rose, the Fire’s front office had to work through a question most franchises never think to ask out loud.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Our first meeting was a few hours long, and it was: is it a he, is it a she, is it non-binary? And all these decisions to make, and the audit of all the mascots that are out there, were so interesting,” Portland Fire co-owner Lisa Bhathal Merage told Front Office Sports, candidly walking through the identity questions that shaped Rose before a single scale was designed.
“But kudos to our incredible marketing team for launching Rose, and she is a pink fire, glitter-breathing dragon who has been living under the Moda Center for the past 20 years since the Portland Fire first existed and came out as, you know, the Fire’s biggest fan,” she added.
During halftime of the Fire-Mystics game, Rose introduced herself to the fans. She came out after much anticipation. She was a pink dragon with wings and wore a crown made entirely of roses that signified the city itself as the Rose City.
Portland has many subcultures. One of them at the forefront is its drag culture. Among many suggestions, the Fire were also urged to consider a drag queen as its official mascot.
Shortly before Rose was introduced to the fans, the team had been leaving hints inside the city. There was pink glitter around the city and burnt holes in the walls at different locations, including Powell’s World of Books and OMSI. Just before introducing Rose, the team’s social media teased fans with a post on X.
“It has come to our attention that a hole with pink glitter was spotted outside Moda Center,” the post read. “Our sources believe it is tied to the scorch marks around town. We best advise you to stay in your seat during halftime.”
Every hint the team dropped finally paid off on debut night.
The Fire hired Kimberly Veale, who has previously helped the Golden State Valkyries build their brand, as the SVP of marketing and communications. Veale said that she and her team had started discussing the mascot idea months before it was revealed. First, Oregon’s nature was at the center of discussion, which has been consistent with the Portland Trail Blazers and the University of Oregon.
After long discussions, the marketing group agreed on Rose. Veale told Marketing Brew that Rose encompasses the city’s “quirkiness,” and she was “passionate, unapologetic, and radiant.”
“She’s a living modern force, embodying the vibe and self-assurance of a true Portland individualist that inspires us to truly flourish,” Veale said. “As we get to know her, it’s clear that she’s got a little edge, a lot of personality, and after two decades waiting for her team to return, plenty of catching up to do.”
One reservation discussed at the meeting was Rose’s pink color, given the shade’s traditionally feminine associations and concern it could narrow the mascot’s appeal to only part of the fan base. Veale said she felt reassured that the color wasn’t a limitation when one of the first fans Rose interacted with on debut night was a man wearing a pink shirt.
The Portland Fire was one of the two teams that were added to the WNBA as part of its expansion. The other one was the Toronto Tempo, which had also introduced its mascot just a few days before Rose.
On Aug. 18, the Tempo debuted Dez the Snapping Turtle and Dot the Arctic Hair as the team’s official mascots. Dez (she/they) is a Borealis Blue snapping turtle from Muskoka, Ontario. Dot (she/her) is an Arctic hare named for Toronto’s longtime nickname, T-Dot.
The Portland Fire have exceeded expectations in their debut season. Despite a respectable 16-24 record, ninth-best in the WNBA this season, the Fire have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, after the Dallas Wings clinched the league’s final playoff spot.