Portland Bars, Offices Prepare For Demands Of World Cup Soccer Fans
Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Bars all over Portland are opening at 8:30 Thursday morning. They’re catering to soccer fans who want to watch the U.S. play Germany in a game that may determine whether the U.S. advances in the World Cup.
Kick-off is at 9 a.m. So Oregonian soccer fans face a difficult choice. Watch the game surreptitiously on a cell phone or laptop — or call in sick, and find the match at one of the many bars, including Kells, the Bitter End and Prost, that will be showing it.
But a few workplaces are embracing the game, like Adidas, the German sports apparel company with U.S. headquarters in Portland.
Spokeswoman Lauren Lamkin says the entire company is watching together. “Here at the Adidas Village, we’re getting together all of our 850-plus employees, and showing the game on our big screen, and having breakfast since it is a nice early morning game.”
Adidas designed the soccer ball used in the 2014 World Cup and says it expects to sell nearly $3 billion worth of soccer gear this year.
Nike, Adidas’ major competitor, did not respond to a request for comment.
This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.