Abstract: The present lighting units provide an effective means by which a sports fan may express his support for a favorite team or school, whether it be a professional team, a collegiate team or college, or a high school team or high school. The portable lighting unit includes a housing having the appearance of a plurality of connected tiers, each of the tiers having a differing dimension such that the tiers convey a stair-step configuration. To represent the sports team or school, at least two three-dimensional alphabetic characters are affixed to a front surface of the tiers. A solar-powered lighting fixture is attached to the uppermost surface of the top tier to provide illumination for outdoor or indoor use. The housing and lettering may feature the team colors. A method of producing the lighting unit is also provided.