Sharks Sports and Entertainment
Sharks Sports and Entertainment, Inc. is a privately held corporation based in San Jose, California, which owns and operates a number of sports properties, most notably the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. The company was established in 2000 as Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment by Sharks owners Gordon and George Gund III to manage the business operations of the team, San Jose Arena and the events held at the arena. SVSE was among the assets purchased by San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises when it bought the team and related properties from the Gund brothers in 2002, and became a subsidiary of SJSE as a result of the purchase. The company was renamed Sharks Sports and Entertainment on August 24, 2011.
From 2001 to 2002, Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment also operated the business side of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer.Current properties
SSE's main business is operating the San Jose Sharks franchise as well managing select events held at SAP Center at San Jose, the team's home arena. Within San Francisco Bay Area, the company also operates ice rink facilities in San Jose, Oakland, Fremont under the branding "Sharks Ice". and the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.
SSE also operated San Jose-based mixed martial arts organization Strikeforce prior to its sale to Zuffa in 2011.
Outside of California, SSE operates the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships tennis tournament held in Memphis, Tennessee as well as the Racquet Club of Memphis, the venue for the tournament. The company also operated the Worcester, Massachusetts-based Worcester Sharks ice hockey team, which served as the farm club of the San Jose Sharks until SSE relocated them to San Jose for the start of the 2015-16 AHL season. They were subsequently renamed the San Jose Barracuda.