{
  "id": 5951636,
  "title": "Meet the Portland Fire owners, whose family’s swimwear company and short-lived NFL venture laid the groundwork for a $380 million WNBA franchise",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/meet-the-portland-fire-owners-whose-familys-swimwear-company-and",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-06T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/06/portland-fire-wnba-owners-alex-lisa-bhathal-merage-raj-sports/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Alex Bhathal and his sister Lisa Bhathal Merage are the proud owners of the Portland Fire, a WNBA expansion team that kicked off play in the 2026 season. The siblings have built their wealth through RAJ Sports, a family investment firm that began with their father's immigrant roots in the U.S. and their mother's athletic background. The Bhathals were awarded the Portland Fire franchise in September 2024, and their ownership has contributed to the team's rapid success, including a $125 million purchase price and a valuation of $380 million. The family's influence extends beyond the game, as their parents founded a swimwear company in Southern California and their mother was an accomplished athlete. The Bhathal siblings' passion for sports began at a young age, following their parents' fandom of various teams. The family's business acumen and deep connection to sports have positioned them to capitalize on the growing women's sports scene in Portland, where the city is home to Adidas North America and Nike's headquarters.",
  "summary": "“We know that things are going to take time. But we also knew that we were going to surprise some people, and I think we've done that,” Alex Bhathal told Fortune.",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}