A bike protest at Portland's Moda Center, the home of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, focused on who should pay for proposed arena upgrades.
Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon has said he will not put private money into the project, leaving the city to cover the costs.
Here's what to know
Riders began 250 loops around the arena after an opening rally with labor and city leaders. Sunrise PDX, the Portland Association of Teachers, City of Portland Professional Workers, the Portland Democratic Socialists of America, and others organized the demonstration, KPTV reported.
The state has committed $365 million to the project, and the proposed renovation agreement would leave Portland to pay $400 million over 20 years.
A decision is expected by December after the Portland City Council approved a term sheet in August by an 8-4 vote. Several councilors who opposed the measure joined the protest.
"It's very frustrating to see the City of Portland readily giving, trying to give hundreds of millions of dollars to a billionaire who could pay for the renovations for the Moda Center all on his own," Cor Dudley Borte, an organizer with Sunrise PDX, said, per KPTV.
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More background
The City Council had spent months working through a budget with a $170 million deficit that led to cuts to homeless services and public safety programs as well as 99 layoffs, according to KPTV.
While they support keeping the Trail Blazers in Portland, organizers said the city can negotiate better terms.
Portland Association of Teachers President Alisha Chavez connected the issue to Portland Public Schools, saying up to 20 schools could close. She told the outlet that many families are asking why money is being invested in the area and not students.
The team's lease does not expire until October 2030, giving the city time.
What's being done?
Community groups are building pressure by arguing that Portland can support the Blazers and Dundon can contribute his own money instead of relying on public funding.
The cycling demonstration was one part of that effort.
"I don't think it's a false dichotomy to say that either the Blazers are here or we get to fund our most important infrastructure," Borte told KPTV. "We have more than enough time to negotiate a good deal."
Where can I learn more?
The articles below expand on questions about how arenas are financed, how people get to them, and what it costs to keep them running.
• In Los Angeles, the Clippers opened a solar-powered NBA arena with water-saving restrooms.
• Outside Atlanta's State Farm Arena, drivers face absurd parking lot prices before events.
• Across the U.S., stadiums are raking in cash through green operating strategies.
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