Professional Sports League Commissioners

PROFESSIONAL
SPORTS LEAGUE
COMMISSIONERS
BY: MUHAMMAD SHWEHDI

SPORTS COMMISSIONERS
 SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT
 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 SPECIFIC POWERS
 SALARIES
 BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE ‘SPORTS

COMMISSIONER”
 INDIVIDUALS PRESENTLY IN OFFICE

WHAT IS A SPORTS COMMISSIONER?
 In nearly all North American professional sports leagues,

the commissioner is the highest executive position.
 The exact powers of the commissioner depend on the

constitution and/or rules of the league.
 Sports leagues are a group of separate organizations that

compete yet must also cooperate. No such organization
can exist, let alone thrive as leagues such as the NBA,
NFL, MLB, and NHL have without outstanding
leadership at the top.
HOW IS THE COMMISSIONER
SELECTED?
 A commissioner of any league is selected by the previous
commissioner and then approved by the board of
governors (each team’s president/ owners of the league’s
clubs).
 In the case he cant be selected by the old commissioner,

than the board of governors will select him.
WHAT DOES THE COMMISSIONER DO??
Some of the commissioners MANY important duties include:
1)Serve as president of league ventures,
2)Handling matters such as discipline,
3)Arbitration of disputes between the clubs and averting strikes,
4)Guardianship of the game-its rules, its enforcement, its integrity, and
making sure that it remains the great game that it is
5)Economic aspects of the game
6) Globalization and international relations
7)Run league operations and officiating departments
8) Preside over expansion of the league
9) Overseer of league business units including: media properties,
marketing and sales, consumer products, stadium development,
special events, and strategic planning
10) Ensuring the success and respect of the league in relation to the
world of sports
COMMISSIONERS SALARIES $$$ (as
of 2009)
 (MLB) Bud Selig- $18.35
million
 (NFL) Roger Goodell-
$10.9 million
 (NBA) David Stern- $10
million
 (NHL) Gary Betman- $7.1
million
 (PGA) Tom Finchem-
$4.8 millon
***Stern is believed to garner about $10 million annually,
but the precise amount is not known. The NBA
does not structure its central office as a tax-exempt
entity, so it is not required to disclose its tax returns.
Source: SportsBusiness Journal
archives
CURRENT COMMISSIONERS
 Bud Selig (MLB)
 Roger Goodell (NFL)
 David Stern (NBA)
 Gary Bettman (NHL)
 Don Garber (MLS)

The origin of the “Sports Commissioner”
The title was first used in 1920, when Kenesaw Mountain Landis was appointed Commissioner of Baseball.
Landis was titled "Commissioner" partly to distinguish his office from that of the "President" of the American and
National Leagues.
Eager to restore public confidence in their sport's integrity, baseball owners gave Landis absolute power and
a lifetime contract, which permitted the former judge to assume more power over the sport than a commissioner in
any sport has held since.
The other major professional sports leagues of North America followed suit, replacing their positions of
league president with that of commissioner. The National Football League (NFL) appointed its first commissioner in
1941, the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1967, and the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1993.
The commissioners' powers and responsibilities in these leagues are not substantially different from those of
the presidents that preceded them. Although baseball's subsequent commissioners have not had the absolute power
that Landis did, current Commissioner Bud Selig has succeeded in centralizing authority over Major League
Baseball in the commissioner's office, relegating the position of league president to an honorary title and giving
baseball's commissioner competencies similar to those of his colleagues in the other major sports.
Many minor professional and amateur leagues throughout the United States and Canada have also
appointed commissioners. The title has not caught on outside North America.
In closing…
Being a sports commissioner

is one of the most lucrative
and amazing careers
imaginable!!!
SOURCES
 http://www.nba.com/history/commissioners.html
 http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/mlb/comish/mlbcomishs.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners#Sports
 http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/62972
 http://insidehoops.com/business.shtml
 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124166336985294745.html

Professional Sports League Commissioners

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Professional Sports League Commissioners

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PROFESSIONAL

BY: MUHAMMAD SHWEHDI

 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE ‘SPORTS

 INDIVIDUALS PRESENTLY IN OFFICE

 In nearly all North American professional sports leagues,

 The exact powers of the commissioner depend on the

 Sports leagues are a group of separate organizations that

 In the case he cant be selected by the old commissioner,

 Roger Goodell (NFL)

 David Stern (NBA)

 Gary Bettman (NHL)

 Don Garber (MLS)

Being a sports commissioner

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