This past Sunday, I attended my first Rip City Remix game with my family. I have to admit – it was an unbelievable experience that I highly recommend. As a sports fan, you have to give it a shot.
For those who don’t know, the Rip City Remix play at the Chiles Center at the University of Portland. They play in the G-League, the developmental league of the NBA. So these young men are inches away from making it to the big time (in this case, players from the Rip City Remix could wind up playing for the Portland Trail Blazers). This is their first-ever season.
What’s great about playing at the Chiles Center, as a University of Portland grad, is that there’s no bad seat in the house. You can definitely get closer to the players (at a much more reasonable price) than at the Moda Center. Speaking of prices, parking is free (hallelujah!), the concession costs are reasonable (and hardly any lines), and tickets start at $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Children 2 and under are free and do not require tickets.
For the kiddos, they have a Kids Zone behind the Beer Garden bleachers on the upper concourse. Kids can enjoy a bounce house, coloring station, frisbee golf, and more. The adults can grab a beer and watch the game from their designated Beer Garden area in the upper bowl on the visiting side endzone. You must try the Backwoods Brewing Remix IPA (exclusive to the Rip City Remix)!
The quality of play was excellent. As I mentioned earlier, these players are THIS CLOSE to making it to the NBA. That day, the Remix were taking on the Salt Lake City Stars, the developmental team of the Utah Jazz. Even though the Remix lost that day, fans could take photos with some of the players after the game. I have to hand it to them – even though they lost a tough game, they still took the time to be with fans. That’s special and means a lot. True professionals.
The games’ times were much more family-friendly than for the Portland Trail Blazers. This season, the Blazers do not have a home game that started earlier than 6PM. The Remix had games available at different times of the day (the one I attended started at 3PM).
Also, certain games for the Remix are themed. The one I went to was Giblets and Jibbitz Day, where if you wore pajamas, you received a Jibbitz (one of those buttons you can add to a Crocs shoe). If you got fortunate, like we were, you could get upgraded to courtside seats!
I will definitely be taking my family to a Rip City Remix game again. The quality of play was excellent, prices were affordable, and my kids had a great time. You should do the same with your family; you will not be disappointed.