Is Bud Selig the worst commisoner ever?

Answer 1

Hard to say; several have been incompetent -- Chandler, Frick -- and Kuhn was just a doofus who was more concerned with the imperial image and (imaginary) impartiality of the office. Seligula makes no secret (though he doesn't actively promote it) that he's a hired gun, the point man for the owners -- which, really, the Commissioner always has been since Landis (who wasn't that great himself).

The thing about Selig is, he doesn't aim small. Two rounds of expansion, realignment, the wildcard and expanded playoffs, internationally sited games (Tokyo, San Juan, Monterrey), getting MLB its own channel (2009) on the major cable nets, the flood of new parks (all but San Francisco largely paid for with public monies), and I'm probably forgetting a few others -- he is always, always, about selling the game. One may not like his tactics or his approach, but he's been quite successful at this key part of his job.

But he also comes with some serious hundredweights about his neck -- the 1994-95 nuclear winter, the steroids scandal (however it plays out, it happened on his watch), the contraction fiasco and his (I think worse than McGwire's and Sosa's) wretched testimony to Congress on baseball's finances, the sad crash-and-burn of the Expos including the gaming of the team sale (along with the Marlins and Red Sox) and the ridiculous, long, slow crawl to the Washington relo, and the disastrous "Baseball Network" when postseason games were not available nationwide. When he swings and misses, he misses huge.

But realize that MLB is bursting with money right now and, true to form, the owners are making drunken sailors US Mint-green with envy. It's a good time in baseball (the minors also experiencing happy swells of ticket and merchandise sales, and many new parks). There's plenty of brickbats we can toss at Selig, and I'll be in the front of the mob, but he's done a lot of good, profitable things which other commissioners never would have achieved.

Sadly, we never really got to know Giamatti.

Edit: some more things I recalled, and there's many others, but by now the point is made.

Goodness: tapping the Asia/Pacifica talent pool.

Not so goodness: utter obliteration of individual league identity (and functional operation) of the AL and NL (the DH is pretty much the only practical distinction left). (Note, however, consolidating the umpires was good, as was crushing the previous umpire's union and getting union head Richie Phillips out of involvement with the game.)

Make of them what you will:
1. Interleague play.
2. Revenue sharing and the payroll luxury tax.

And finally, for which this alone he should be loathed eternally: prevented Texas Rangers figurehead/doofus George W. Bush from becoming Commissioner, taking the chair himself, and eventually sending 21st century Earth along pathways we'd have been better off avoiding.

Answer 2

Bud Selig has done more harm than good. One thing people need to remember is that Selig when he was given a job, and for a good deal of his tenure, was an owner. Critize the players all you want for making a lot of money, but the owners have clearly shown more contempt for the fans than anyone else- building stadiums for luxury box clientelle, playing more night games, and moving the World Series into November. Selig has also been a victim of political correctness and has pandered to the media at every turn he can get. Now, Bowie Kuhn was a total disaster as commissioner, and Ford Frick nearly destroyed the game, so Selig has to be judged with some really bad company. Where is Fay Vincent when we need him.

Answer 3

If your talking about baseball, then yes. How do you turn an exibition game in the all-star game into something that is to mean something for the world series? Like a player on a losing team at the all-star game cares who gets home field advantage. Also, between Pete Rose and the whole steriod issue, he really screwed that up. Selig doesnt run the league, the owners do now. He lost all control of the league.

As for the worst overall, I have to say Bettman in the NHL, hands down.

Answer 4

Gotta agree Bettman wins this one hands down.
If you talk purely baseball though- and I'm no big fan of Selig, But Peter uberoth didn't do a damn thing but write a book in the wink of an eye he was commissioner during the drugged out 80's so I would go with him.

Answer 5

No. I have not got any love for Seligula, yet there is been worse. Selig on no account targets small. he's had successes and mess ups, alongside with 2 colossal millstones which will define his legacy. MLB has long previous from a tens-of-tens of millions to a multi-billion dollar corporation below his watch. virtually each and every team has a clean ballpark, in basic terms one in all which did no longer gobble up public investment. He has helped the proprietors make gobs of money, and the proprietors -- his employers, technically -- are very, very pleased with him for this. he's been very stable at some areas of his job. He has, from the fan attitude, in many situations been infuriating. i comprehend this. He in all risk does too, yet he additionally knows of he's in basic terms beholden to the team proprietors. Ueberroth introduced us 3 offseasons of collusion -- which, in line with words of the CBA, became unlawful -- in in basic terms 5 seasons as commissioner. Kuhn became ordinarily a do-no longer something for his finished tenure, like he had an government branch shoved up his backend. the adult men before Kuhn -- bleah. And Landis! Landis maintained the colour barrier. no longer that it could have fallen before, perhaps or in line with risk no longer, yet he made valuable it stayed in place. i ought to spell out a good longer people's indictment against Selig, valuable. yet he hasn't been all undesirable. we've had worse.

Answer 6

I am not sure, but no commissioner is ever popular. He surely hesitates to make tough decisions and seems to waver too often on important issues. Such is the case with the use of steroids and with penalizing those who use them. I also think that a commissioner needs to be impartial. Because Selig is an owner, I don't think he can be. He should be replaced asap, but the owners have to find the guts to do so.

Chow!!

Answer 7

If you're talking MLB, yes. But he was taken off the hook as the worst sports commissioner in North America a few years ago by Gary Bettman, who cancelled not just a post-season but a whole season. That's yet another reason to dislike hockey.

Answer 8

not while Gary Bettman is still in charge of the NHL

Answer 9

No the NFL's Paul Tagliabue he made the NFL the "No Fun League".

Answer 10

no gary betteman of the NHL