Roller derby and ice hockey are two of the lesser recognized sports in Portland that many may not think of when they think about Portland sports. Typically, one would think of the Blazers, Timbers, or Thorns, but there are several other exciting sports leagues and teams that call Portland home. While many residents may have never attended a game for one of these smaller teams, it’s never too late to explore the city and embrace what makes it uniquely “Portland.”
Three such teams are the Portland Pickles, the Rose City Rollers, and the Portland Winterhawks. Each team unique in their own way, smaller Portland sports still maintain an incredibly strong presence in the city’s culture.
Known for their comical mascot, Dillon T. Pickle, the Portland Pickles baseball team is one of two baseball teams in the Portland Metro area, and only one within the city of Portland. The Pickles are part of the West Coast League (WCL,) “an independent summer collegiate wood bat league, which has teams in Oregon, Washington, and Canada,” according to the Pickles website. Hosted at Walker Stadium in Lents Park, in Southeast Portland, the Pickles are a nationwide attraction, known for Dillon, as well as for themed games and for the overall positive atmosphere.
The Pickles have a very committed fanbase, with most games being sold out or close to sold out, as well as 600-1000 regular-season ticket holders, according to Anna Miller, the Pickles fan engagement specialist. “I think our fanbase really represents Portland,” she says. Miller particularly loves the diversity in age and backgrounds that make up the quirky Pickles fanbase. Miller emphasises how the themed game nights bring out a crowd that might not usually attend baseball games. For example, last summer there was a “Taylor Skipped Portland” night, an entirely Taylor Swift-themed Pickles game including karaoke, friendship bracelets, and an outfit contest where a whole new demographic of fans showed up.
Miller explains that most of the players are Division I, II, and III baseball athletes in college, who play for the Pickles during the summer. In college they play baseball with metal bats, whereas in Major League Baseball (MLB) and in the West Coast League, they play with wooden bats. Grady Haferbecker, a bat boy for the Pickles and a longtime Pickles fan, explains that Gabe Scoro is his favorite player. “He’s a Pickles legend, he brings the whole team and staff cookies, he’s a super nice and chill guy,” Haferbecker explains. He enjoys the Pickles because “seeing the Pickles creates the connections you don’t get from other things.”
The Rose City Rollers, a Women’s Flat Track Derby Association team, was founded in 2004, with six adult teams and nine junior teams, ranging from ages seven to eighteen. Ella Eberlin, a freshman at Franklin and skater, loves “how strong the sense of community is, [and that] everyone is connected.” Eberlin has been skating for the Rose City Rollers since 2018, and plays as a blocker for the Death Scar Derby Droids, one of the Rose City Rollers junior teams.
Eberlin wishes more young people knew about roller derby, as many have never heard of it before, since it’s a relatively smaller sport. According to their website, the Rollers aim to “serve women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals who want to play the team sport of roller derby, connect with an inclusive community, and realize their power both on skates and off.” If any sports fans enjoy watching fast-pasted, high energy games, you can find a Rose City Rollers bout down at Oaks Park.
The Portland Winterhawks are a major junior ice hockey team, who play at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum next to the Moda Center. The Winterhawks were founded in 1976, and are in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The 2025-2026 Winterhawks season started with pre-season games in October and regular games that will occur until the end of March, and for leading teams in the WHL, playoffs go through April and May. The Winterhawks have won the WHL Championship, also known as the Ed Chynoweth Cup, a total of three times. Something special about the Winterhawks community is that “the fans know everything all the way down to the referee’s name, making it a very intimate experience,” says Zelma Coomer, a sophomore at Franklin, and fan of the Winterhawks. Coomer loves the atmosphere that occurs at games, particularly the cheerleaders who always make it fun and entertaining. A very young team, the Winterhawks players are still in high school or young adults, with most of them coming from out of state or country and staying with host families. Over 120 Winterhawks players have continued on to play in the National Hockey League.
Whether you are bored one night or are yearning for that gameday atmosphere, drive down to a Pickles, Winterhawks, or Rose City Rollers game to immerse yourself in the community that make up the Portland sports scene. These teams and their staff work hard to put on not just a game but an experience for the fans, an experience that represents Portland.
