A-Game Sportsplex in Franklin closed its doors this morning, locking out its staff and finishing the season for hundreds of families that paid (in advance) for access to the facility and the leagues it sponsored.
A-Game has been serving the southern portion of the Nashville are for years, providing basketball, volleyball, soccer and hockey leagues for quite a long time. My son played hockey there and frankly… it has always been a safe place where families could go to skate, play basketball, play laser tag, participate in sports camps and leagues and generally be entertained in a wholesome way… something that we have way too little of in our world. That ended suddenly this morning.
A little background. Back in July, news broke that the current owners of A-Game, a company called Sports Land Group, was negotiating a potential acquisition of the land and building that houses A-Game. The new owner was going to redevelop the land into office space. In a very public announcement (that is still posted on their website as of this writing) a commitment was made to keep the doors open… from the announcement
If the sale proceeds, A-Game will operate, as is, until the Spring of 2016.
Did someone change the date spring begins? Last time I checked it was in March… but I digress…
Parents paid hard earned money to sign kids up for leagues with that assurance. Contracts were signed, commitments made, leases signed… the right thing to do is live up to them. But apparently, Circuit Court Judge Michael W. Binkley doesn’t think that way. Judge Binkley denied a request for an injunction to keep the facility open in order to force Sports Land Group to live up to the commitment’s made.
This isn’t a bankruptcy situation and I am sorry… two more months to live up to a commitment made won’t hurt anybody… including a company that can afford to pay $16 million dollars for the land and facility.
As much as it disgusts me to say it… Once again, big money wins out over the people.
That being said… Sports Land Group has every right to sell the property and every right to make a profit… they also have a community responsibility. A responsibility to…
- The dozens of leagues that have paid for access to the facility for the season.
- The dozens of students who’s private SCHOOL was padlocked. SESPS - The Southern Elite Sports Preparatory School was housed at the facility, so now… not only was their training ended, their classes were ended… with zero notice.
- The NA3HL Hockey Team is on the street after having a commitment for the season.
- All players have their gear locked inside the building and are not allowed within a thousand feet of it as I write this. The entrance was being guarded by police.
- The Skate School is now gone...
- As is two rinks for the NYHL,
- The high school hockey league lost two rinks critical to its' use
- The Nashville Jr. Predators, The Thunder… all without a home… impacting hundreds…
- The basketball leagues… cancelled
- The volleyball leagues… cancelled
The staff of A-Game was locked out with no notice and worse yet... no communication... they came in early this morning to be turned away by a Franklin policeman and given a generic press release... they received no word whatsoever. No notice...
Here is where my business career and the hockey side of me collide… I have been on both sides of difficult business decisions. I have been part of cutbacks and closing in my business life, both as the cutbacker and the cutbackee. I know that there is a right way and a wrong way to do something like this… let me tell you…
This isn’t the right way to handle something like this.
This is the easy, cheap and wrong way, it's straight out of Office Space. Hide behind the corporate names and just change the locks and don't communicate with the people that helped your business. It's pathetic.
What is even more disappointing is that Sports Land Group, the owners of A-Game, is a local Franklin-based company. A company that committed to finish this season… a company that should live up to its published word.
I won’t hold my breath.
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The Predators are back in action tonight after Tuesday’s bad break loss to the St. Louis Blues. They maintain the last playoff spot in the West as things broke their way in play over the past two days. The Philadelphia Flyers are in town for their annual visit and surprisingly, they are only five points out of an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot… an unexpected situation as the Flyers did not start this season well.
The Predators have really locked it down on defense, only giving up a single goal in each of their last five games, going 4-1 over that span. Offensively, the team is still sputtering a bit, but signs of life have been shown. The Predators have been outstanding between the pipes over the past six games, as both Carter Hutton and Pekka Rinne seem to be pushing each other to be better and better. Rinne seems to have gotten his swagger back in the net, he is moving with confidence and looks like the Pekka Pred Nation is used to seeing.
Offensively, Peter Laviolette is rearranging again as Mike Ribeiro skated on left wing with Ryan Johansen and James Neal yesterday as the head coach looks to spark some offense. Gabriel Bourque and Colin Wilson both skated yesterday and were on the ice for today’s optional skate as well.
The Predators dropped a Black Friday matinee to Philly at Wells Fargo Center in overtime earlier this season. Between the pipes will be Rinne for the Preds and you can expect an old friend in net for the Flyers, former Blue Jacket Steve Mason who seems to have gotten a lot of his head issues straight in Philly.
Game time is 7pm at Bridgestone Arena, coverage on Fox Sports Tennessee and 102.5 the Game.
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Random Notes
- “Where They Stand” – Entering tonight’s play, the Nashville Predators are 5th in the Central Division 1 points ahead of Minnesota (-1 games in hand) and one point behind Colorado (2 games in hand.) The Predators are in the second wild card slot, one point behind the first wild card spot currently occupied by the Avalanche.
- Expect to see Jakub Voracke, Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds on the first line for Philly tonight
- The Predators have posted points in 3 of the last four games played against Philly.
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