{
  "id": 514431,
  "title": "Welcome to the Fire Pit: Portland embraces its reborn WNBA team",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/welcome-to-the-fire-pit-portland-embraces-its-reborn-wnba-team-514431",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-10T23:23:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/portland-fire-wnba-thorns-nwsl-06f67a935b338896c60ff5159091f8e3"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Portland Fire, a newly reborn WNBA team, welcomes fans to its \"Fire Pit\" at the Moda Center, drawing an impressive average attendance of about 14,500 per game. This enthusiasm is likely due to Portland's long-standing support for women's sports, as evidenced by the University of Portland's top college soccer attendance and the city's founding of the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League. Now, the Portland Fire benefits from a lively fan base, with center Megan DiLeo noting that the crowd plays a crucial role in their success, acting as \"our sixth man.\"",
  "summary": "The fact Portland has shown up for its new WNBA team is, in many ways, unsurprising given the city’s long history of embracing women’s sports. The expansion Fire rank…",
  "key_points": [
    "Portland Fire WNBA team welcomed fans to Fire Pit at Moda Center",
    "Average attendance of about 14,500 per game",
    "City's support for women's sports evident in Thorns' success"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}