Photo Copyright Robert Deutsch for USA TODAY Sports
The first major National Women’s Soccer League news of this calendar year came out of Portland when the sale of the Thorns to the Bhathal Family was announced. The announcement ended the star-crossed tenure of Merritt Paulson. Once the most powerful owner in the league, Paulson exited a villain after investigations revealed he failed to disclose the reasons the Thorns fired Paul Riley in 2015.
But the legacy Paulson left behind as a founding NWSL owner is dotted with positives. In the league’s nascent days when teams would occasionally draw three-figure crowds (yes three!), the Thorns flew out of the gate by averaging 13,320 in 2013. That average went up five of the next six years before the pandemic, topping out at 20,098 in 2019. The Thorns were the face of the NWSL’s early years.
Another original owner, Arnim Whisler, bid the league adieu late last year, selling the Chicago Red Stars to the Ricketts family. Whisler’s legacy will be different from Paulson’s. He…
