The Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team might not be the only franchise to leave Bridgeport as a result of the city”™s plans to redevelop the Harbor Yard stadium into a music amphitheater. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the American Hockey League team that plays at the adjacent Webster Bank Arena, have suggested that they might also depart if the Harbor Yard project goes forward.
The Connecticut Post obtained a letter sent by Sound Tigers”™ owner Joe Ladecky to Mayor Joe Ganim and the Bridgeport City Council that cited a “noncompetition” clause in the team”™s contract with the Webster Bank Arena that prevents the construction of a facility “that would compete … for events and would have a material adverse impact on … revenue generation.” Ladecky called for the city to reconsider the project, adding that “if the city accepts the proposal, the Sound Tigers will be forced to exercise all of their rights under the operating agreement.”
The co-developer on the Harbor Yard project is Howard Saffan, who previously owned the Sound Tigers. Ladecky”™s letter alluded to a meeting with Saffan, the entertainment company Live Nation ”“ the project”™s other co-developer ”“ and city officials prior to this week”™s announcement of the amphitheater project. It noted that the team was given until the week of Aug. 14 to offer a response in writing “whether and under what circumstances the Sound Tigers could accept the ballpark conversion.”
Under the initial announcement, the music amphitheater would open in 2019 and host 29 concerts a year. The Sound Tigers”™ 2017-18 schedule runs from October through April, with 38 games based at Webster Bank Arena.
