In the Best Interests of Baseball?: Governing the National Pastime

In the Best Interests of Baseball? is a thoughtful, balanced look at the impact of the ninth commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, on the sport as well as an examination of the commissioner’s position in a historical context. The more controversial topics Andrew Zimbalist probes include the conflicts of interest arising from Selig’s original role as owner/commissioner; Selig’s response to the persistent steroids scandal; the commissioner’s role in promoting and marketing the sport; player relations and the collective-bargaining agreement; managing explosive conflicts among the owners; the game’s economic challenges; major changes made on Selig’s watch; and Selig’s growing compensation.

Underlying this very public evaluation is a far more challenging question: given the legal, economic, and political architecture of Major League Baseball, can any commissioner act in the best interest of the game? Based on dozens of interviews with Selig, former president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball Bob DuPuy, and scores of baseball insiders and interested outsiders, as well as on mountains of historic baseball documents, In the Best Interests of Baseball? challenges everything you thought you knew about the game, the Major Leagues, the players, the owners, and, most of all, the man at the helm.

This edition includes a new preface and epilogue by the author discussing the developments in the baseball industry since 2005 and anticipating what lies ahead for the national pastime.

1113557961
In the Best Interests of Baseball?: Governing the National Pastime

In the Best Interests of Baseball? is a thoughtful, balanced look at the impact of the ninth commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, on the sport as well as an examination of the commissioner’s position in a historical context. The more controversial topics Andrew Zimbalist probes include the conflicts of interest arising from Selig’s original role as owner/commissioner; Selig’s response to the persistent steroids scandal; the commissioner’s role in promoting and marketing the sport; player relations and the collective-bargaining agreement; managing explosive conflicts among the owners; the game’s economic challenges; major changes made on Selig’s watch; and Selig’s growing compensation.

Underlying this very public evaluation is a far more challenging question: given the legal, economic, and political architecture of Major League Baseball, can any commissioner act in the best interest of the game? Based on dozens of interviews with Selig, former president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball Bob DuPuy, and scores of baseball insiders and interested outsiders, as well as on mountains of historic baseball documents, In the Best Interests of Baseball? challenges everything you thought you knew about the game, the Major Leagues, the players, the owners, and, most of all, the man at the helm.

This edition includes a new preface and epilogue by the author discussing the developments in the baseball industry since 2005 and anticipating what lies ahead for the national pastime.

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In the Best Interests of Baseball?: Governing the National Pastime

In the Best Interests of Baseball?: Governing the National Pastime

by Andrew Zimbalist
In the Best Interests of Baseball?: Governing the National Pastime

In the Best Interests of Baseball?: Governing the National Pastime

by Andrew Zimbalist

eBook

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Overview

In the Best Interests of Baseball? is a thoughtful, balanced look at the impact of the ninth commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, on the sport as well as an examination of the commissioner’s position in a historical context. The more controversial topics Andrew Zimbalist probes include the conflicts of interest arising from Selig’s original role as owner/commissioner; Selig’s response to the persistent steroids scandal; the commissioner’s role in promoting and marketing the sport; player relations and the collective-bargaining agreement; managing explosive conflicts among the owners; the game’s economic challenges; major changes made on Selig’s watch; and Selig’s growing compensation.

Underlying this very public evaluation is a far more challenging question: given the legal, economic, and political architecture of Major League Baseball, can any commissioner act in the best interest of the game? Based on dozens of interviews with Selig, former president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball Bob DuPuy, and scores of baseball insiders and interested outsiders, as well as on mountains of historic baseball documents, In the Best Interests of Baseball? challenges everything you thought you knew about the game, the Major Leagues, the players, the owners, and, most of all, the man at the helm.

This edition includes a new preface and epilogue by the author discussing the developments in the baseball industry since 2005 and anticipating what lies ahead for the national pastime.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780803253094
Publisher: Nebraska Paperback
Publication date: 12/01/2013
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 286
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

Andrew Zimbalist is the Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics at Smith College. An award-winning writer, media commentator, and consultant in the sports industry, he is the author of numerous books, including Circling the Bases: Essays on the Challenges and Prospects of the Sports Industry and May the Best Team Win: Baseball Economics and Public Policy.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Nebraska Paperback Edition v

Preface xi

1 Introduction: Running a League 1

2 The History of the Commissioner's Role 13

3 The First Commissioner: Kenesaw Mountain Landis 32

4 The Undistinguished Middle I: From Chandler to Eckert 49

5 The Undistinguished Middle II: From Kuhn to Vincent 75

6 Bud Selig: A Lifetime in Preparation 111

7 Baseball's Acting Commissioner, 1992-1998 134

8 Baseball's Permanent Commissioner, 1998- 158

9 Governing Baseball: Assessing the Past and Anticipating the Future 203

Epilogue 219

Notes 235

Index 253

What People are Saying About This

John Thorn

“Zimbalist is a consummate and impeccably credentialed outsider, and this splendid book is the real deal. . . . Rational baseball fans will rejoice in this tough but fair view of a decent man in a thankless job.”—John Thorn, editor of Total Baseball

Ken Burns

“Once again, Andy Zimbalist proves that no one understands the mysterious inner workings of the best game on earth better than he does. With energy, thoughtfulness, and passion, he has parsed the complicated world of baseball and shown how important its business side is to its soul—and survival.”—Ken Burns

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