Former MLB commissioner reflects on challenges in sport

The role of the commissioner of Major League Baseball is to do what’s in the best interest of the sport, and “you can’t tolerate anything less than,” said MLB commissioner emeritus Allan “Bud” Selig, who is credited with restructuring the game and changing its economics.

Former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig addressed the 43rd Annual Conference of the American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries.

“I knew we had to change the rules system — and that was a big thing,” said Selig during an October 14 program at the virtual ABA Conference of the Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries.

Selig, who served as baseball commissioner from 1992-2015, said he was given huge economic powers to confront a number of major issues during his tenure: stagnant change in the sport for decades, strife between players and owners, steroid scandals, and more.

“The game was in deep trouble” when he took over as commissioner, Selig said. “The economics had not changed in 40 years. Labor was as bad as it gets. We already had had eight work stoppages.”

Although he was criticized as slow to react to the significant problem of steroid use among players, Selig said he is proud that during his 23-year tenure he was able to bring economic stability, revenue sharing and a philanthropic spirit to the league — and implement the toughest drug-testing program in American sports. He also introduced the wild card game and interleague play.

As commissioner, Selig said he had to handle labor issues and represent the owners. “I think I cleaned a lot of that up over the years.”

Selig also is pleased to see baseball become more diverse than ever before and the globalization of the sport. “The game will continue to grow because of globalization,” he said. He supports baseball’s antitrust exemption, which no other professional sport has, because it “enables us to keep teams and not let them move.”

“The sociological influence of baseball is absolutely amazing,” Selig said. “The game has grown. It’s a whole different world.”