TSF Tip-Off For Monday May 14,2012: Which Sports Commissioner Has The Toughest Job?

Looking at the four major sports in the United States each commissioner is faced with some sort of dilemma that could pose a long-term effect on the respective sports league that he governs. So my question today is which sports commissioner has the toughest job and why?

With the recent rise in concussions among players and the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has his hands full on just those two subjects alone. The recent suicide death of certain Hall of Famer Junior Seau has raised even more speculation as to whether the NFL is doing all it can to make sure that its former players are ready to deal with life after football. Also under consideration is an 18-game schedule.

David Stern has seen the NBA go through two season-altering lockouts in ten years. Contracts seem to be the root of the problem. Stern has long sought to expand an already watered down league that can ill-afford another project franchise. Questions again are starting to surface about the age where college players can deem themselves NBA eligible. And as of yesterday Stern has said that “flopping” amongst players has become a concern.

Bud Selig is still sitting in a dark room - either afraid or unwilling to open the blinds on baseball’s drug problem. The recent dilemma with NL MVP Ryan Braun has given a new twist on a problem that has plagued the game for decades. It is the biggest threat that has won back its fan base and has even expanded its playoff format to ensure even more parody.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has come long way from being a joke of a commissioner. I believe that he’s not happy being the fourth rung down on the ladder of sports in the U.S. but as long as there’s a television deal, there will be an audience. The NHL is moving along just fine, and has two non traditional winter cities in the Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles and Phoenix). Player safety has always been a primary concern in the NHL as they continue to improve on rules and equipment alterations to that cause.

In other news:

Here’s a thought-provoking piece by Dave Zirin (Edge of Sports).

Alvin Ailey spring gala at the Apollo Theater raises one million dollars (Black Gives Back).

No Peace between Lakers and Thunder (LA Daily News).

Is there an NHL lockout on the horizon (The Globe and Mail).

Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving to win NBA Rookie of the Year (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

Joey Votto’s 3-home runs slam Nationals (Cincinnati.com).

Read up on the final day of the EPL happenings (SI.com).

With a new stadium in the works Minnesota is seeking a Super Bowl bid (Star Tribune).

So churches really are empty on Father’s Day (Christian Post).

Obama loses the average white guy vote (Real Clear Politics).

This entry was posted on Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 12:48 pm and is filed under Blogroll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “TSF Tip-Off For Monday May 14,2012: Which Sports Commissioner Has The Toughest Job?”

Temple3 says:

May 14, 2012 at 4:42 pm

Interesting testimony:

Some Democrats like to portray the GOP as a party of white, middle-class, married Christian men. Interestingly, the president, who ran as someone who would unite the nation, has disconnected with the next largest plurality in the electorate behind women – white guys, men who once were the backbone of the Democratic Party.

These are the men whose skills include fixing the wiring in your home, mining the coal that supplies 82 percent of Ohio’s and 48 percent of Pennsylvania’s electrical power, and running the small businesses that keep our communities (and other small businesses in them) rolling along.

They make the widgets and fix the computers we use, own the lawn-care companies that tend to our neighborhoods and schools, volunteer as our children’s coaches, and attend church probably less often than they would like because of work or community commitments.

They are the sons, grandsons and great-grandsons of European immigrants whose commitment to work, family and God all held equal priority. College either was not an option or was skipped so that they could use their hands and their ingenuity to become gainfully employed.

Many also are employees of what today appears to be the next great economic frontier – the energy industry. Yet, oddly, they are ignored by Democrats, or used by the president to sell class warfare in his re-election campaign.

These are the same guys who used outright exclusion or an auxiliary system (full dues, limited privileges, no tenure) to lock Blacks out of labor unions from the 1870′s through the 1970′s. These are the same cats who set local, state, and federal policy to underfund predominantly Black schools. This is also the Jerry Sandusky “talent pool.” I guess people see what they want to see. I just want to be fair and balanced.
Temple3 says:

May 14, 2012 at 4:45 pm

If the job of a commissioner is to enrich the owners and keep costs down (legal, labor, etc.), then Bettman has the toughest job by a wide margin. If the job is viewed more broadly, then you could make a case for others. As it stands, they all have cushy jobs because their bosses can all afford to lock labor out of the work place and continue to “earn” television revenue without putting a product on the field. Easy-PZ all the way around.
Miranda says:

May 15, 2012 at 5:08 pm

LOL, ok – I got about halfway through that “testimony” you posted T3 and for some reason the song “Nobody Knows Da Troubles I Seen”, just popped into my head. I can just imagine this poor oppressed, burdened man toiling the land (naw, a cubicle) – sweat, blood and tears dripping from his tired beaten brow. Abused and broken, he falls to his knees and with pained breath bellows “How long Lawd! How long!”

too funny.

The Starting Five