Hockey rinks are notoriously difficult businesses. They’re expensive to operate, and tend to only last about 25 years before running into major mechanical issues. And yet Black Bear Sports Group has spent the past decade buying them up, building both an empire of hockey real estate and a much broader—and lucrative—youth hockey business.
Today, Black Bear is the largest owner-operator of hockey rinks in the country—it now runs almost 50 across 12 states. The company says its business model is helping save rinks and grow the sport of hockey, but its rapid expansion is also making lots of enemies. WSJ explores what happens when a for-profit company changes a world that’s traditionally been run by non-profits and community-led organizations.
Chapters:
0:00 What Is Black Bear Sports Group?
1:50 Making money off more than just the ice
3:28 A local hockey association loses its home
6:25 Families adjust to a more expensive game
8:42 The big business of youth sports
9:57 Where does the money come from?
12:20 What happens to local organizations?
15:01 The Michigan Attorney General gets involved
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