Sports Authority Supports Campaign to Keep Preds with One Detractor

The Nashville Sports Authority voted today in support of a campaign to sell more Predators season tickets. It’s a business-led effort to keep the team in the city.

Canadian billionaire Jim Balsallie has agreed to purchase the franchise for 220-million dollars. Though not yet approved by the National Hockey League, the prospective owner is making contingency plans to move the team to Ontario. He could if Nashville breaks its lease by remaining below an average attendance of 14-thousand at home games.

The one detractor sitting on the Sports Authority board is attorney Steve North who says Balsallie could buyout the team even if the city sells a record number of season tickets. He would have to pay a roughly 30-million dollar penalty in that case.

North said at this mornings meeting held in the Sommet Center that the city has bent over backwards for the Predators already.

“We have provided a state of the art building. We have provided what everybody in the business agrees is a sweetheart lease and sweet heart deal. We annee up annually 5-million dollars in deficit operational expenses on this building.”

Chairman Kevin Lavender cut North off and asked him to save his comments for an executive session which will likely be held next week.

The Sports Authority, as a whole, supports any private effort to hold on to the team. The board must approve any sale of the Predators before it can be finalized.