Throughout the dramatic, sudden closure of A-Game, there are have been lots of questions but no response from the owners. Alyssa Ivey, daughter of previous A-Game owner Gary Ivey posted the following message on her Facebook page. There are still questions as to if scheduled tournaments will be allowed to be played, why the building was abruptly closed and what’s next for A-Game? We have reached out to Alyssa Ivey for further comment but have not received one as of yet. When and if we do,we will update that here.
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Alyssa Ivey’s Facebook post:
I am crying as I write this post because I wish people could know the truth. Unlike the tenants, the owners of Agame and I being one of their daughters have waited to make a post or statement about the whole ordeal because we have tried our best to handle the situation with fairness. Through all of this the owners have chosen not to interview with reporters and to not tell lies about the situation therefore it’s a one sided story.
For all of you that have been making naive postings about how your children’s life has been taken away due to the “owners inflating their bank accounts, or not making enough to profit”… No that’s not at all how this went down. Who do you think had the vision, the love, the desire to start this company 15 years ago on our kitchen table designing a layout to give all of the community and your children the opportunity to play sports and have entertainment at the best facility in the world, my dad did.
He waited years and never gave up until he found enough money to start this for you all. He put his entire life on hold for Agame. Trying to improve it every day. Every day I came home for years and years he was planning something new for Agame or simply going to work the front desk for tournaments because he wanted to. You think he would give up that easy if he just wasn’t making “enough”, definitely not, if you know the facts we actually have NEVER made a profit in 8 years, and we lose 72,000 dollars a month. Is that selfish at all?
But he isn’t the only owner that did this, and those owners have families too. What would you do if your business was losing thousands and thousands of dollars every year and putting your families future at risk and taking all of your happiness away. Well surprisingly no the owners didn’t just wake up and say hey let’s sell this company and inflate our bank accounts. They tried for months and months going to the county, the state, different buyers, anyone who would take the challenge at keeping this a sportsplex for YOU. But after the state said no its losing money, the county said no it losing money, and no buyer could take on that challenge yes, they decided to try and sell it because that was the only option that made sense.
It’s sad to me because you all act like your life is over, and these owners are monsters, but little do you know how this has strained our family, how Christmas this year was filled with silence, and how many lifelong friends have turned their back on my family. It has hit us HARD. And guess what, I guarantee you my dad and I have spent more hours in Agame than any of you, that place was actually our 2nd home, I was there the day we started construction to make this community a better place. I got in fights with my dad begging him not to sell but then I learned of the situation and had to accept it was best.
Some good things eventually have to come to end. I know that all the ignorant posts from people obviously don’t know my dad, because if you did you wouldn’t make those assumptions and post and send hateful things that hurt. He amazes me every day as do all the owners with the amount of respect they give others. My father has never missed a game since I was 5 years old, and I just finished my last collegiate volleyball game for Auburn and have played every sport in the book. He is the most loving, dedicated, understanding, intelligent, compassionate father, husband and owner you could imagine. He has always taught me to be kind in every situation. So please know the facts before you post thinking solely of yourself.
Because yes, this HAD to happen, yes the court ruled Agame needed to shut down, yes the owners gave employees a notice, yes we tried everything to keep it a sportsplex, yes we did everything for this community that was possible. Without these dedicated owners the facility would have shut down years ago. I love you so much dad and continue to keep your head up!!! You did an amazing thing for this community, they were spoiled by you and the other owners hard work, and thankfully Nashville is blessed enough to be able to move on from this once they finally can see the big picture.
If your kids love sports as much as you post about then you will find a way to love that sport without Agame. I miss you and wish I could be there with you through hard time this Daddio. Thank you for all you have done for me. I will always strive to have your patience, your kind heart, and your ability to view every situation in the most positive light, you are my hero. A-Game Sportsplex. Share to support the amazing time and experiences we had with this facility and the love and hard work put into it. Out with the negativity.
Alliance Volleyball Club Not Granted Access to A-Game
My major issue, and the reason I participated in the protest march last night… WHEN/HOW they did the shutdown.
1. All fees for Feb were collected.
2. No warning after being told the rink would be open until March 31st to finish seasons. Employee stated she did NOT receive notice.
3. A police barricade with kids/parents showing up at 5:15AM.
4. No easy/timely way to let us get our stuff. Skating Dad had to use bolt cutters to open 20 Figure skaters lockers and remove items.
5. A school is run in there. Yes, ~29 students! Locked out with books etc. inside.
6. Lease holders were told it would be open until Mar 31st.
Am I happy it’s closing, No, it makes our kids sad and our life much harder. Am I upset about how abruptly it was done YES. Where are the answers to these questions?
And in regards to defending your Dad, good for you. I know he’s proud of you and I would do the exact same thing!
Thank you for your side of the story; an unfortunate situation for all. Giving up a dream is never easy.
Alyssa,This has Nothing to do with the sale of A-Game! Clearly you have been away at school too long to truly understand the extent of your father and his business partners unethical, disgusting manner at which they dealt with the situation. To tell us we used our children as pawns in the media? That A game owners are helping us ‘transition?” Seriously? Our children matter ,they care, they have a say when it comes to their present and their future. What our children have learned over the last two days is skepticism, deceit, ignorance, and most importantly unethical practices. There was a more tactful approach that could have been taken and unfortunately your father and his partners preferred the backlash approach. No sympathy here.
Sorry, call me heartless, but to sign people into a lease of a failing business venture is not honorable. Are the owners that poor of businessmen? Then, to set a date to close it with a judge then close it early is just par for the course, from what I see. I also blame Williamson County and the city of Franklin for not stepping up on this matter. Williamson County is the richest county in our state, but we can’t afford for our community to have ice? We have to support Davidson County and the TWO ICE RINKS THERE, neitger of which will be truly home to any of us.
The integrity and legacy of these owners was destroyed with the way they ended A-Game. ff they cared AT ALL for the kids and employees of A-Game they would have never allowed them to show up to police and barricades with zero warning. The kids were not even allowed to drive onto the parking lot to collect their things. The owners should have sucked it up and kept their word (there is a concept) and finished out the season. Nobody was blaming them for selling but don’t ask for sympathy with the way they handled it.
The above comments hit the nail on the head. The vast majority of protestors have no expectations that anyone should run a failing enterprise. We are not selfish enough to insist that your father continue to run a business that is losing money. What we are upset about is the way the hockey and volleyball families have been treated this past week. Families paid money to their respective organizations for a complete season based on a PROMISE that your father and his partners made last fall that we would be able to complete that season. Tournaments were scheduled, practices were scheduled, fees paid…all based on that promise. A Game provided no warning, allowed no time for tournaments to be reworked, no notice was given to the STUDENTS in the school so their families could find alternate schooling . For all the talk about caring for the community there seemed to be little of that as you required police escorts for families to retrieve their personal belongings as if the Franklin Dad and his 10 year old figure skating daughter are going to loot or vandalize your building.
Any goodwill your father had was lost this past week in the way he has handled the final days of A Game. There is a right way and a wrong way to close a business and unfortunately your father and his partners chose the latter.
And all of you parents with children and money invested in this situation will have the opportunity to show them how to deal with problems and disappointments that happen in life. What example will you give? How will you teach them to live?
What everyone fails to understand about what looks like a broken promise is this: The facility was to remain open until March 31 ASSUMING that the property sold by December 31, the proceeds of which would have provided operating capital for remaining open the last few months. The lawsuit and refusal of the tenants to agree to a lease settlement is what has delayed the sale to Al. Neyer, which was never part of the plan. I wish Alliance and MDG hadn’t taken such an unreasonable position–A-Game owners would have done whatever necessary to make them whole (buyout their leases) and assist with transitions to potential new homes, but the tenants seem to have chosen instead to make this the most miserable business closure in history. They are not even as reasonable as most of the haters who say “we don’t begrudge people closing a failing business.” Well, the tenants apparently DO begrudge them that and seem to want to ruin the owners in the process.
Why didn’t the owners give advance notice before closing???? That would have been the right thing to do.
They gave notice to the tenants, who did NOT in turn alert their players and customers. The tenants were more than happy to let it play out like this–can’t you see why?
They did not give notice to tenants. The owners have viable offers on the table and have had those offers or months, to buy A Game and keep it intact and have given ZERO communication or consideration to that. The tenants have viable legal leases.
It’s funny how crocodile tears are expected to make everything they did wrong null and void.
I would like a legitimate response to why the owners of Agame have refused two – yes two – legitimate offers to buy the facility and keep it as a sports complex for equal amounts that Al. Neyer has offered?