tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Leadership In Pro Sports: All 4 Are Not Fan-Friendly

If I was in charge of a multi-million dollar corporation, I can honestly say that I wouldn't hire Bud Selig, Roger Goodell, Gary Bettman or David Stern to manage it.  Look at all four leagues that they supposedly lead.  Major League Baseball has two franchises in major markets (Mets, Dodgers) who are in financial disarray and is still trying to recover from the steroid era.  The NFL has locked out the players in spite of the mega-billions of dollars that is split up between the owners and players not to mention the criminal activity that seems to plague NFL players.  The NHL has franchises struggling in spite of a shutdown of the 04-05 season which was suppose to cure all ills and a franchise moving with another one possibly on the way.  Not to mention all of the controversy over concussions, etc.  The NBA has a majority of its franchises losing money and players basically playing general manager by constructing their own fantasy teams.

Who gets hurt the most in all of the above is the fan.  The fan is the one who supports all of these leagues yet they must endure higher ticket prices, threats of their team moving, players up and leaving when they can and the turning of the sports page into the police blotter and gossip column.  Can you remember when the sports page was only about the game???

All four of the Commissioners could give a damn less about the fan.  They owe their allegiances to their bosses who are the owners.  The phrase, "doing what's in the best interest of the game " has been replaced by "doing what's in the best interest of my bosses."  The last commissioners who gave a damn were Pete Rozelle, Clarence Campbell, Bart Giamatti and Larry O'Brien.  Of course, the owners were different too.  They understood that if the whole wasn't doing well it didn't matter how well your team was doing individually.  This was particularly true in the NFL.

But that is all gone now.  It's all about making sure I have enough luxury boxes, personal seating licenses and a fat bottom line.  Each league would do well if they reduced the number of teams as the talent is really watered down as evidenced by the number of late 30 & early 40-somethings playing.  Of course that would effect the bottom line as expansion fattened the league and team coffers.

Television dictates when games are played.  Do you remember when the Super Bowl was played on Sunday afternoon??  When weekend World Series games were played at 4pm?? When NBA and NHL playoffs were done by the end of May???  Not now.  Have to be on prime time and not interfere with existing programming. 

The sports fan is used and abused and the four dopes leading their leagues could give a damn less.

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Tomorrow more on Ohio State, the Knick debacle, Game 2 of Stanley Cup and of course the Yankees.