On January 25, A.H. "Bud" Selig will retire after serving 22 years as commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Selig's legacy is as follows:
When baseball needed a strong commissioner, he was the game's nowhere man. When he did act, it was in the best interests of owners -- and not in the best interests of the game and its fans.
Selig's tenure is second only to that of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who was baseball's first commissioner. Landis was hired to clean up the game after the 1919 Black Sox scandal, when eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the World Series.
In his 24 years as commissioner, Landis was known by some as a capricious, dictatorial, megalomaniac, grandstanding, racist. But he took care of the gambling problem in baseball. He suspended the accused players from baseball for life.
Shortly after becoming commissioner, Selig learned that baseball had a steroid problem. Under Selig's leadership, and because of his leadership, the problem became a scandal.
Selig could have saved baseball from itself. But he did nothing.
As long as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were hitting home runs, and stadium attendance and television ratings were up, and owners were making money, why do anything?
After the game's reputation had been needlessly shredded, Selig acted in what he called the best interests of the game and suspended players who took steroids. If Selig was really interested in the best interests of the game, he would've suspended himself.
The 2011 All-Star Game was scheduled to be played in Phoenix, Ariz., a state that had passed a virulently anti-immigration law, which encouraged racial profiling and harassment of Latinos by requiring them to carry identification and to present it upon demand or risk arrest.
Selig should have moved the All-Star Game. There was precedent for such a move. In 1993, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue moved the Super Bowl out of Arizona after the state refused to recognize Martin Luther King Jr's birthday.
By moving the All-Star game, Selig would've made a statement on behalf of Latino ballplayers -- who comprise nearly 30 percent of all major league players -- and Latino baseball fans that MLB would not tolerate racial discrimination.
But Selig did nothing, giving implicit support for a law that blatantly discriminates against Latinos. Selig could've reached out a hand to Latinos. Instead, he raised his middle finger.
Selig also has ignored younger fans, who have all but given up on baseball.
Professional football and basketball market their respective sports to kids who are learning to drive, voting for the first time, having their first beer, or turning 30.
Studies conclude that half of the television viewers of the World Series were older than 55. The typical baseball fan, therefore, is a white man in his 50s who has recently had -- or is about to have - his first colonoscopy.
Yes, Selig made a lot of money for baseball, the networks and for owners. But, to do so, he mortgaged the game's future. The baseball fan of yesterday is now a basketball or football fan.
Selig's legacy will be like that of Bowie Kuhn, who as commissioner in the '70s and '80s, was a stooge to owners but did nothing for fans. The great sportswriter Red Smith once wrote the following about the ineffectual Kuhn: "An empty car pulled up and Bowie Kuhn got out."
Selig and his empty train will soon leave the station.
It's almost like he was never here.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.