Portland Fire owner discusses gender identity debate for new mascot

Portland Fire co-owner Lisa Bhathal Merage revealed that the organization held extensive discussions regarding the gender identity of the team’s new mascot, Rose. During the development process, executives debated whether the character should be male, female, or non-binary, with initial meetings lasting several hours.

Rose is a pink, glitter-breathing dragon featuring rose-covered scales and a flower crown. According to the mascot’s fictional backstory, Rose lived beneath the Rose Quarter for 24 years following the folding of Portland’s original WNBA team in 2002, emerging only with the Fire’s return in 2026. The team used various marketing tactics, including placing pink glitter and burnt holes around Portland, to tease the mascot’s arrival.

The discussion around the mascot’s identity follows research from the Geena Davis Institute, which noted that male mascots significantly outnumber female mascots in consumer branding.