Off-Topic Forum

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is confident the league will be able to finish its season and award the Stanley Cup, saying cancelling the rest of the year is "not something I’m even contemplating.” (tsn.ca)

After seeing another story about the present NHL commissioner and IMO, saying another stupid thing, I wondered who people thought was the worst commissioner of all the 4 major sports.  If you wish, you can also bring up some of those from the past.

It may be because I am in Canada and hockey takes the fore-front on any sports page, but every time I see this guy's face, I cringe at what stupidity has come out of his mouth once more. He gets my vote.

Goodell, hands down.

I'm in the US, and Bettman is probably the worst to me. I'm not a fan of Manfred either, but I don't think he's the worst. Hard to find one in the recent past that isn't bad.

Considering Bettman let the entire 2004-05 season get cancelled, I don't think anyone can top that...even though I don't think he's done anything particularly bad or erronius since I discovered the sport in 2016. 

Bergman is the master of the bad idea in a sport he knew nothing about, Goodell is close second 

I can't say anything about the hockey commissioner since I don't follow the sport, but I'd say personally that Goodell got on my bad side for not putting his foot down on disrespecting the US flag and police officers a couple of years ago. He took the PC route in my opinion on something he could have dealt with firmly with national pride.

As for the rest, well, I've got my ideas about them, too. I just believe that although the commissioner is to be an overseer of leagues, they tend to lean toward ownership's side since they're the ones who've hired them. That's understandable. So their decisions have to be made based on revenues, and in that case, COVID-19 sure has hit them hard and their focus is to recoup as much money as they can.

I'd add to the list the major college division commissioners (if that's what they're called) as I just heard yesterday that the SEC is saying they WILL be playing football while students may not be allowed back on campus. Hmm. Revenue-based decision? Jason Cole, and NFL beat writer, was a guest yesterday on a local Houston sports station. He was asked about football being part of bringing normalcy to the country. This was radio, but the quiet followed by his rhetorical question and subsequent tone was on target. List here and forward to about 13:18. This guy would make a great commissioner.

I am mostly familiar with the goings on in baseball and hockey. I like football, but I don't follow all the commissioner stuff there and I know zilch about basketball. So, I can talk about baseball and hockey.

Baseball - Manfred - Too many changes for he sake of change - too many attempts to try to win over fans that would never be fans of the game anyway. (Really, if the game is 2 hours and 45 minutes versus 2 hours and 25 minutes isn't enough for these "new fans".) Leave the stuff alone. Other than that, he did a decent job with the disciplinary actions that came about recently (maybe a little too light on the Sox when compared to the Astros, but not ridiculously lopsided).

Hockey - Bettman - Despite the cancelled season and 2 other stoppages, this can't always be pinned on him. Granted, he could possibly have been a better negotiator/mediator, but it comes down to the two parties that caused them. The implementation of the shoot-out to decide games was a terrible idea. Team sports' wins/losses should never come down to a skills competition (yes, I'm also looking at you, soccer). (Really, after 12 innings, we'll pull all the fielders off the field - it will be just pitcher and batter? NO! Shoot out is the same thing.) Other than that, he's managed to help hockey thrive in the various places it is (except for FLA).

Bettman's bad, but he hasn't been as bad for his sport as Manfred has been.

Bettman, by 10 miles ahead. He has no clue about hockey. He was working for the NBA before and he was hired because he worked for another pro league. If it is was not hockey, he would be working in a dairy, a smelter or any other commodity and it would not matter much more to him. He's the only one who think that NHL hockey can be profitable in Phoenix and Atlanta. He was almost nauseous on the stage when he had to announce the second (his) failure in Atlanta and that the team transfer to Winnipeg. No wonder why he does anything he can to avoid another transfer / expansion team to Quebec City or anywhere else in Canada. He is hated so much and booed everywhere he goes, that the NHL has Bill Daley doing the press relations during the last lockout. The only reason he's still there is the owners make tons of money, otherwise he would be have been kicked out of his office since a long time ago. 

Well said, Took words out of my mouth. All Bettman wants is to stay in the states, Quebec is ready for another team as well as other Canadian Cities , But he wants to expand in the States which I dont have a problem with, Just want the team where its wanted not where it will make Owners more money

It was during John Ziegler's reign that the NHL adopted the five-minute OT period in the 1980s, which was totally unnecessary and created the slippery slope to today's shoot-out (which I hate).

An amusing article on "The Unknown Soldier", William Eckert, who got sacked after three seasons as MLB commish in 1968:

https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/12/16/courtmartial-for-a-general