At a women's soccer match in Portland on September 6, eight fans were escorted out of Providence Park after the Portland Thorns cited a Code of Conduct violation for distributing unapproved materials — a charge the fans deny, saying they were removed for the messages on their shirts. The incident, which continued when the same group was asked to leave a nearby women's sports bar, surfaces a deeper tension that has been building across American sports: who gets to define inclusion, and whose voice is protected inside the spaces built in its name. The dispute remains unresolved, with video evide
Portland Thorns, fans clash over ejection; dispute centers on apparel and material distribution
If we distributed anything, they would have it on video.
Mark
So what actually happened at the stadium? Did they hand out flyers to strangers or not?
Mimi
That's the core dispute. The Thorns say they distributed unapproved materials. Sousa says they only shared five printed copies of the venue's own code of conduct among their own group while seated. There's video of the removal, but apparently not video that settles whether materials went to other fans.
Luke
Right—and that matters legally and factually. If they handed stuff to random people, that's one thing. If they only showed documents to each other, that's different. The Thorns haven't released the video evidence they presumably have.
Mark
Why did they bring the codes of conduct in the first place?
Mimi
Sousa said an activist named Hannah Perry warned her that she was contacting officials about the group's planned attendance. So Sousa wanted to be prepared to reference the venue's rules if there was a confrontation.
Luke
That's a reasonable precaution, actually. But it also suggests they anticipated conflict.
Mark
What about the apparel itself—was that the real issue?
Mimi
The Thorns cited material distribution as the violation. But the apparel was definitely visible and provocative to some people. The Sports Bra later asked them to leave specifically because of the messaging on their shirts.
Luke
So we have two separate removals based on two different stated reasons. The stadium said materials. The bar said the messaging itself was exclusionary. Those aren't the same complaint.
Mark
Did the group cover their shirts when they entered the stadium?
Mimi
Sousa says yes—that the XX-XY clothing wasn't visible when they arrived. But we don't have independent confirmation of that.
Luke
And that's a gap. If the shirts were covered and then uncovered later, that changes the timeline of what security saw and when.
Mark
What does this tell us about how women's sports organizations are handling these conversations?
Mimi
Both the Thorns and The Sports Bra treated the group's presence as a threat to their stated mission of inclusion. They saw the messaging as exclusionary toward trans people and acted to remove it.
Luke
But neither organization has fully explained what materials were actually distributed or to whom. That's the piece that's still missing.
Le Pouls
- Eight fans wearing 'Save Women's Sports' apparel were ejected from a Portland Thorns match, with the team citing a Code of Conduct violation for distributing unapproved materials.
- Fan Amy Sousa forcefully disputes the claim, saying the group only shared five printed copies of venue rules among themselves and was targeted for their political beliefs, not their behavior.
- After leaving the stadium, the group was also asked to leave The Sports Bra bar, where staff called their apparel transphobic — compounding the confrontation beyond a single venue.
- Both the Thorns and The Sports Bra framed their actions as protecting an inclusive environment, while the ejected fans framed theirs as legitimate advocacy for women's sports.
- Stadium video captured the removal but did not settle the core question of whether materials were distributed to other fans, leaving the factual dispute unresolved and the group facing possible stadium bans.
At a women's soccer match in Portland on September 6, eight fans were escorted out of Providence Park after the Portland Thorns cited a Code of Conduct violation for distributing unapproved materials — a charge the fans deny, saying they were removed for the messages on their shirts. The incident, which continued when the same group was asked to leave a nearby women's sports bar, surfaces a deeper tension that has been building across American sports: who gets to define inclusion, and whose voice is protected inside the spaces built in its name. The dispute remains unresolved, with video evidence inconclusive and both sides holding firm to their account of events.
Eight fans were removed from Providence Park during a Portland Thorns match on September 6 after the organization cited a Code of Conduct violation for distributing unapproved materials. The fans received a formal notice warning of possible additional penalties, including a stadium ban, and the Thorns said the matter remained under investigation.
Amy Sousa, one of the ejected fans, rejected the distribution claim entirely. She said the group attended wearing apparel from XX-XY Athletics and shirts bearing messages like 'Save Women's Sports' and 'It's common sense,' and that they had brought five printed copies of the NWSL and Providence Park codes of conduct only after receiving a warning from a local activist that officials were being contacted about their presence. Sousa said those copies were shared only among the group while seated. 'If we distributed anything, they would have it on video,' she said. Stadium footage captured her questioning security during the removal but did not resolve whether materials had been passed to other fans.
The confrontation extended beyond the stadium. The group then visited The Sports Bra, a Portland bar dedicated to women's sports, where staff asked them to leave, describing their apparel as transphobic. The bar later released a statement affirming that trans women are women and that while it welcomes all identities, it does not tolerate messaging it considers exclusionary to the community it serves.
The two removals in a single evening capture a widening fault line in women's sports: venues and organizations framing transgender inclusion as the foundation of a safe environment, and fans like Sousa framing their apparel as straightforward advocacy for women's sports. What neither side has yet settled is where the line falls between protected expression and conduct a venue may lawfully refuse.
Eight fans were removed from Providence Park during a Portland Thorns match against the Washington Spirit on September 6, setting off a dispute that hinges on what exactly happened inside the stadium and why security decided to act.
The Thorns organization said the group was ejected for distributing unapproved materials in violation of the stadium's Fan Experience Guidelines. A spokesperson stated that the priority was maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment, and added that the matter remained under investigation. The fans received a formal notice citing a Code of Conduct violation and warning of possible additional penalties, including a stadium ban.
Amy Sousa, who was part of the group, flatly rejected the distribution claim. She said the eight fans came to the match wearing apparel from XX-XY Athletics and shirts with messages like "Save Women's Sports," "Girls just wanna have fundamental rights," "Woman," and "It's common sense." Sousa said the group brought five printed copies of the NWSL and Providence Park codes of conduct after receiving a warning from local activist Hannah Perry that she was contacting officials about their attendance. According to Sousa, the copies were shared only among the group members while they were seated and facing each other. She also said their XX-XY clothing was covered when they first entered the stadium. "If we 'distributed' anything, they would have it on video," Sousa said, challenging the Thorns' account.
Video from inside the stadium showed Sousa questioning security after being handed the notice and escorted out. The exchange captured the moment of removal but did not definitively resolve the central question: whether the group had actually distributed materials to other fans or merely shared documents among themselves.
The conflict did not end at the stadium gate. After leaving Providence Park, the group went to The Sports Bra, a Portland bar dedicated to women's sports. Staff members asked them to leave, citing the apparel as transphobic. Video from inside the bar showed a staff member ordering the group out. The Sports Bra later released a statement on social media explaining the decision. The bar said its mission was to support, promote, and empower all girls and women in sports, and that trans girls are girls and trans women are women. It stated that while it welcomes people of every identity and background, it does not tolerate messages or conduct that demean or exclude the community it exists to serve. The bar characterized the group's apparel as advocating for the exclusion of trans women from sports and said staff had respectfully asked them to either cover the messaging or leave.
The sequence of events—removal from the stadium, then from the bar—illustrates a widening gap in how women's sports venues and organizations are handling fan expression around transgender inclusion. The Thorns and The Sports Bra both framed their actions as protecting an inclusive environment. Sousa and her group framed theirs as advocating for women's sports and following the rules they were given. What remains unresolved is whether the stadium's claim about material distribution can be substantiated, and whether the group's apparel and messaging constitute exclusionary conduct or legitimate speech about sports policy.
Citations marquantes
They are lying about us. They have violated our rights. My group was targeted for political beliefs I speak about online.— Amy Sousa, ejected fan
During our September 6 match against the Washington Spirit, individuals were removed from Providence Park for distributing unapproved materials, a violation of the Fan Experience Guidelines at the stadium.— Portland Thorns spokesperson
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