The name "Trailblazers" is the inalienable cultural heritage of Oregon citizens.
This site argues that the name "Trailblazers" belongs to Oregon, not to any single ownership group — and proposes what Oregon basketball could look like if the NBA's Portland franchise ever leaves. Read the case in the legal memorandum's summary, and the alternative in OBA and NABA.
The supporting legal and economic research — whether the NBA is legally a monopoly, and how other leagues and franchises have structured public or community ownership — is maintained as a companion research project at civicathletics.org.
Political Requests
| Public body | Short Petition | Date of vote |
|---|---|---|
| Portland City Council & Multnomah County | Vote against authorizing the Moda Center term sheet with Rip City Management and Trail Blazers Holdings, and instead pledge the savings to regional basketball — the theorized OBA and the Portland Mensheviks, who would use the arena as-is. Or else support with these changes: insist on transfer of the "Trailblazers" trademark to the City or State, which we will hold as collateral against their non-relocation agreement in the proposed TERM SHEET. Also, insist on 33% of all ticket sales to finance our semi-pro and amateur leagues, and stadium improvements. | August 12 |
| Oregon Legislature | Develop and pass legislation incentivizing private investment in regional semi-pro sports through matching state financing, informed by research on public and community ownership models elsewhere in American sports. | — |
| Oregon's delegation to U.S. Congress | Sponsor federal legislation revoking the NBA's legal monopoly and supporting minor and alternative leagues such as the theorized NABA and the Big3, seeking Republican co-sponsorship — concretely, the proposed Basketball Competitive Markets Act. | — |
| Governor of Oregon | Direct the Attorney General to exercise eminent domain over the trademark "Trailblazers" if the Portland team leaves Oregon by 2030, per the Trailblazers Heritage legal memorandum. | — |