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 r?sum? 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 ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.
