PHOENIX — The other three major professional sports leagues warned in a court document Friday that a ruling against the NHL in its attempt to block the sale and move of the Phoenix Coyotes would set a dangerous precedent.

The NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA said in a joint brief that such a ruling "has the potential to undermine the business of professional hockey and other major league sports."

The three leagues joined in an "amici curiae" brief in U.S. Bankruptcy Court supporting the NHL's right to determine where a team is located and who owns it.

Judge Redfield Baum set a deadline of midnight Friday for filing briefs in the bitter court fight between the NHL and Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who wants to buy the bankrupt Coyotes for $212.5 million and move them to Hamilton, Ontario.

The city of Glendale, largely on the sidelines up until now, weighed in with a 49-page objection to the sale Friday night, contending among many other things that ownership has "terribly mismanaged" the team.

The city cites a lengthy number of cases, including one in 1999 involving the Pittsburgh Penguins, in its argument that the Coyotes should not be allowed to break the 30-year lease they signed in 2001 to play in Jobing.com Arena.

Moyes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 5, to the surprise of the league, which says it was about to present a letter of intent from Jerry Reinsdorf — owner of baseball's Chicago White Sox and the NBA's Chicago Bulls — to buy the team and keep it in Glendale. Moyes' filing included plans to sell the team to Balsillie, who has failed in previous attempts to buy the Penguins and Nashville Predators.