Nike's Beaverton headquarters was one of the first stops in a week-long teaser campaign that culminated Aug. 23, with the Portland Fire unveiling their new mascot: a pink, glitter-breathing dragon named Rose who wears her own pair of custom Nike Air Force 1s.
A scorched Portland Fire logo appeared on the ground at the Nike campus on Aug. 19, as part of a series of news-style skits produced with Fox 12 Oregon, The Oregonian reported. Pink glitter was left at the scene. The Fire were practicing at the Nike campus that week during RAJ Sports' annual Epicenter Week, a five-day event run in conjunction with Nike to celebrate and grow women's sports in Portland.
RAJ Sports, the investment company co-owned by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal that operates both the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns, staged teaser stops at locations including OMSI, Powell's Books and a northeast Portland business before the big reveal at the Moda Center.
Rose made her debut at halftime of the Fire's home game against the Washington Mystics, according to The Oregonian. She's a pink dragon with wings, a crown of roses nodding to Portland's "Rose City" nickname and those custom pink Air Force 1s tying her back to Nike's Beaverton home.
The reveal's final act: a large pit that formed outside the Moda Center on game day, spreading glitter and spewing smoke in the space between the arena and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
As we reported Aug. 23, Nike and RAJ Sports recently partnered to equip the Fire and Thorns' new joint practice facility in Hillsboro. The mascot campaign adds another visible thread connecting Beaverton's corporate anchor to Portland's newest WNBA franchise.
The Toronto Tempo, the league's other 2026 expansion team, revealed their mascots on Aug. 18. Portland's reveal came five days later, capping a campaign that put the Nike campus on the map alongside Portland landmarks.
No upcoming appearances for Rose have been announced.
