Owners of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team and the Dallas Stars NHL team are clashing over contractual language regarding the two teams’ shared home: American Airlines Center. The rare legal battle has escalated to the point of litigation, and these two franchises will meet in the courtroom to settle the dispute.
According to Sportico, the Mavericks and the Stars rely on Center Operating Company to lease the arena for games and as the teams’ front office headquarters.
The Mavericks allege that the Stars have been violating the teams’ lease agreement since moving its headquarters to Frisco in 2003 and “holding the American Airlines Center hostage” by declining investments in maintenance and other upgrades. The injunction goes so far as to claim, “The Stars’ terrorist conduct is a hindrance to both teams, the Arena, the City, and the hundreds of thousands of fans the Arena opens its doors to every year.”
However, the Stars offer a different view on the situation. The NHL team’s leadership suggests that the Mavericks are “attempting a hostile takeover” of the arena, and it points to several large investments in arena infrastructure in recent years.
Both teams must agree on arena investments and expenditures, as it is written in their lease contract and partnership through Center Operating Company.
The Mavericks are seeking “a court declaration that they have ‘redeemed’ the Stars’ interest in Center Operating Company.” Sportico reported that it is likely that the legal battle will end in a settlement between the two teams.
“I think the biggest issue that I had with the Stars as it applied to the future of the relationship was that they wanted to try to capture as much financial support as possible from the city and state. That wasn’t a focus of mine. But I understood why they wanted to take that approach,” minority Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told The Dallas Morning News. “The second issue was the big difference in how NHL and NBA teams generate revenue. The NHL is much more ticket revenue dependent than the NBA. So we always had a different filter when looking towards the future.”
