Opinion: Column
Selig sets horrific example for undergraduates
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Come graduation day, most of you seniors will be looking for one of three things: money, jobs or the cake table. Naturally, all you’ll probably receive is advice. While no one may offer you an interview, everyone is willing to give you their take on grad school, the importance of dental insurance and the great future of plastics. For Madison’s class of 2009, I submit only one suggestion as you take your seat in the Kohl Center for the spring commencement ceremony: Please pay no attention to the man at the podium.
The man in question is Allan “Bud” Selig, who will be delivering the commencement speech at all four ceremonies on May 16 and 17. A former Badger and current commissioner of Major League Baseball, his résumé is impressive and his yearly salary — estimated at around $18 million — would make your student loan payments look like quarters in the crane machine. But despite his seemingly strong business sense, his sense of integrity long appears left in the dust, and there is no quality more essential when speaking to the future leaders of this country.
If Selig were to offer up one of his success stories, he’d undoubtedly tell of how he worked his way up from life as a Milwaukee car dealer to the head honcho of America’s pastime. First, he brought baseball to Milwaukee by stealing it from Seattle, who then sued the American League for a new franchise. But that stuff happens all the time. Later, in the ’80s, Selig showed his love for baseball’s athletes by “rigging the signing of free agents,” and, along with the Chicago White Sox’s Jerry Reinsdorf, colluding players out of $280 million. Of course, this is all according to former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent, who has a bit of an ax to grind with Selig. See, it was Selig who led the coup to throw Vincent out of office and Selig who replaced him with, well, himself.
These days, he spends most of his time threatening cities with the idea of team relocation — or worse, contraction — if the good townspeople don’t publicly finance new stadiums for their billionaire owners. He’s also been busy turning a blind eye to steroid use for the last 15 years, which didn’t seem to matter when MLB was raking in cash, but merited congressional intervention when it started corroding the image of the game and it’s commissioner.
He’s not a businessman; he’s a business, man. But that doesn’t make him a hero worthy to stand on stage and pontificate as if he’s somehow earned our respect. He is a man whose concern goes only as far as the bottom line and his ego will take him, and while I envy his bank account, I shudder at his pragmatic nature.
Then again, I doubt anyone will be hanging on his every word. Commencement is like war; it is to be endured, not enjoyed. But Selig, like AIG or Bernie Madoff, is a strong representative of the Cult of Greed that put us into an economy sinking lower than a pitcher’s batting average, and if he’s going to speak to us, he should probably start with an apology.
Bud Selig is an alumnus, an advisory board member, and by all accounts, a nice guy to hang around, but that does not make him a smart choice to lead our recent graduates into the new world. Since 1905, the World Series has been cancelled only once — in 1994. It survived the Great Depression, two world wars, and a few dead Kennedys, but it could not deal with Bud Selig. And if it doesn’t have to, we shouldn’t either.
Sean Kittridge (kittridge@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in journalism.
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Ironically, the other candidate for commissioner when Selig was appointed was George W. Bush, then the owner of the Texas Rangers. As much as I love baseball, I would much rather have had Bush destroy that than our economy and our reputation in the world.
Don’t forget that he gave the Jay’s two World Series titles by having horrible moves as the head of the Brewers and that he re-drew the divisions, moving the Brewers to the NL central; yet the NLC has six teams and the AL west has four.
“But Selig, like AIG or Bernie Madoff, is a strong representative of the Cult of Greed that put us into an economy sinking lower than a pitcher’s batting average, and if he’s going to speak to us, he should probably start with an apology.”
So he built a massive Ponzi scheme? Or he took bonus checks after getting a bailout? Maybe you should apologize to him for making such a bad comparison. He may have let steroids go, but so did America. I’m guessing you are one of those people that watched in awe when Sosa and McGwire hit 66 and 70 HR but didn’t think it was weird that no one had broken 61 since the 60s. Also, what is wrong with his business tactics? He isn’t bankrupting America. His morals are lacking, I agree, but painting him as one of the USA’s biggest financial problems is just stupid, because even with a lack of morals, he doesn’t need a govt bailout.
“yet the NLC has six teams and the AL west has four.”
Uh, that’s because of scheduling reasons. With teams having to play every day and the low number of inter-league games, there has to be an even number of teams in each league. Having an odd number of teams would force scheduling of off days.
“AIG or Bernie Madoff, is a strong representative of the Cult of Greed that put us into an economy sinking lower than a pitcher’s batting average, and if he’s going to speak to us, he should probably start with an apology.”
So they just let ANYONE write for the BH these days?
Oh, btw I think you missed a key point about Bud Selig being the second gunman on the grassy knoll.
Bud Selig ain’t perfect but he’s not a hall spawn demon, he’s the comish of baseball and I think that’s a pretty cool graduation speaker (wish I was graduating!)
WOW, BDS where ever you look!
Yeah let’s just take the embittered Fay Vincent’s point of view. And Regarding Steroids: The MLB players union is the strongest union in the WORLD, and that is a fact. So let’s not blame Bud for turning a blind eye to roids, we have no idea what went on behind the scenes.
Bud Selig stinks — the commissioner was never supposed to be an owners toady. Selig is even worse than Kuhn, which is saying something.
It is absolutely tragic that Giamatti didn’t live long enough to fix the game he loved so much.
And for chrissakes get rid of that goddamned DH rule (except for the All-Star Game) — this ain’t frickin slow pitch softball.
Joke article
Unbelievable. Relocation? Never happen—-something called the anti-trust exemption. Get your facts straight. List what the guy has done for baseball. Wild card, revenue sharing, debt service rule, drug testing amongst many others. Let’s not forget the strength of the union through all of those years. Do you think the owners wanted another strike? There was no way players wanted drug testing. The strike of ‘94 nearly killed the game. Now…Baseball has never been better. It’s more popular, more profitable, and more competitive than ever. Listen to the man speak. Evaluate the whole picture. Selig has taken this game to new heights, and he’s not done yet. Appreciate what he’s done over his tenure, because it’s quite a lot.
Baseball is run like any company. The workers (players) have a union, and the management (owners) have a director or CEO (Selig). So go ahead and call him a “tool of the owners” but to be frank, who else would be properly suited to represent them, as a former owner himself … and look at the state of the sport. In a dismal economy, teams are breaking attendance records across the nation and the competition is much more balanced even in the era of the billion-dollar franchise. You rarely see members of the baseball fraternity being arrested for shooting themselves or killing people while drunk at the wheel.
Right. He’s done nothing bad for baseball. It certainly hasn’t continued to grow in popularity EVERY YEAR. Wild card?… stupid idea…I mean, really? Revenue sharing? pshhh, who needs it. Can you really disregard all this?