Key Takeaways
- Black Bear Sports Group told The Lever it will revise contracts and rulebooks to allow parents to record games and practices
- Rulebooks for Atlantic Hockey Federation and Tier 1 Hockey Federation stated players could face immediate suspension or dismissal if family members recorded events
- The recording restrictions first appeared in the 2022-2023 season rulebook, after Black Bear’s vice president became league commissioner
- The revised policies will permit full game and practice recording but maintain restrictions on livestreaming
- Black Bear operates 37 ice rinks under exclusive contract with Black Bear TV, according to The Lever
via: Lever News
Initial Reporting and Company Response
Black Bear Sports Group is updating its recording policies after The Lever presented documentation showing prohibitions in league rulebooks and facility contracts, according to The Lever’s reporting.
Following The Lever’s initial investigation into Black Bear’s business practices at ice rinks, the company released a statement saying parents were “always welcome to record videos and take photos of their own child during games and practices” while prohibiting livestreaming.
The Lever’s follow-up reporting revealed language in contracts and rulebooks that differed from the company’s public statements.
Rulebook and Contract Language
The Lever reviewed contracts between Black Bear TV and affiliated ice rinks that prohibited “other form of broadcast or recording” from being “allowed in the Ice Rink by family, friends, spectators, etc.”
The 2025-2026 rulebooks for both the Atlantic Hockey Federation and Tier 1 Hockey Federation contained identical sections stating: “If a player, parent, family member or friend produce (or any other version of such) a video or livestream or any other broadcast production of an AHF event or game, the player can be immediately suspended or dismissed from the team, league or tournament for the remainder of the season with no refunds provided.”
These leagues serve youth players aged eight to 18 across hundreds of teams, according to The Lever. The rulebooks apply to all ice rinks where league games occur, not exclusively Black Bear-owned facilities. The Atlantic Hockey Federation maintains contracts with 37 Black Bear-owned rinks, The Lever reported.
Black Bear TV contract noting its “broadcast exclusivity” rules.
Timeline of Policy Changes
The Lever’s reporting shows the Atlantic Hockey Federation’s recording policies changed between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. The league’s 2021-2022 rulebook contained no mention of recording or streaming restrictions.
The restrictions first appeared in the 2022-2023 rulebook after Tony Zasowski, Black Bear’s vice president, became the Atlantic Hockey Federation’s commissioner, replacing a non-Black Bear-affiliated hockey coach, according to The Lever. Zasowski also serves as commissioner for the Tier 1 Hockey Federation, which Black Bear launched in 2022.
The Atlantic Hockey Federation was formed in 2020 by a group of hockey organizations including Black Bear, The Lever reported.
Company Statement on Policy Revisions
After The Lever presented the company with rulebook and contract language, a Black Bear spokesperson told The Lever the company would revise its materials.
“We apologize for the confusion this has caused and will be amending our contracts and rulebooks to allow for full game and practice recording,” the spokesperson stated, according to The Lever.
The spokesperson added: “We have never wanted to prevent families from capturing the most exciting moments of their children’s hockey journey and are committed to making sure our policies, contracts, rulebooks and the promises we are making to our families are always consistent.”
Regarding the rulebook language about player suspension or dismissal, the spokesperson told The Lever: “We approach these situations on a case-by-case basis, but parents will be asked politely to follow the safety policy. A player and their team will not be punished as falsely reported.”
American Hockey Federation’s 2023-2024 rulebook
Senator’s Account of Recording Warning
The Lever’s reporting included a statement from Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) made at a public event earlier this year. Murphy said: “I was told this past weekend that if I livestreamed my child’s hockey game, my kid’s team will be penalized and lose a place in the standings. Why is that? Because a private equity company has bought up the rinks.”
The revised Black Bear policies will permit recording of games and practices but maintain restrictions on livestreaming, according to the company’s statement to The Lever.
Black Bear’s Corporate Structure
The Lever’s reporting addressed Black Bear’s corporate structure after a company spokesperson stated that Blackstreet Capital “is not a private equity fund.”
According to The Lever, Murry Gunty, CEO of Black Bear Sports, founded Blackstreet Capital Management in 2002 after working at Blackstone. For years, the firm identified as “a private equity firm” on its website, The Lever reported.
The Securities and Exchange Commission characterized the firm as a private equity firm in a 2016 lawsuit against Gunty regarding investor fees, according to The Lever. Following a $3.1 million settlement, Blackstreet Capital began operating under Blackstreet Capital Holdings. The firm stopped identifying as a private equity firm on its website around the end of 2020, The Lever reported.
Court documents in an ongoing lawsuit describe Black Bear as “a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackStreet Capital Holdings, LLC,” which “serves as Mr. Gunty’s private equity fund,” according to The Lever’s reporting.
Scope of Operations
Black Bear Sports Group is the largest owner-operator of ice rinks in the country and runs its own leagues, teams, and tournaments, according to The Lever. The company operates leagues, teams, tournaments, and streaming services in addition to its facility portfolio.
The Atlantic Hockey Federation page lists 37 ice rinks under exclusive contract with Black Bear TV, The Lever reported. The policy revisions affect rulebooks that govern hundreds of youth and junior-level teams participating in Black Bear-operated leagues.
Implementation of Policy Changes
Black Bear stated it will amend contracts and rulebooks to align with its commitment to allow families to record games and practices, according to the company’s statement to The Lever. The revised policies will maintain distinctions between personal recording and livestreaming activities.
The company did not provide a timeline for implementing these revisions across all affected leagues and facilities, according to The Lever’s reporting.
All reporting in this article comes from The Lever’s investigation and follow-up coverage.
Images: (DAPA Images/Canva)
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