Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who directed the sport to records in a number of areas during 2006, has been named the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily’s executive of the year.
“In terms of a combination of putting out fires, defusing crises, building consensus — including collective-bargaining consensus with ownership — and growing revenues and the stature of the brand, he’s had not only a good year, he’s had a good decade,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern, who won the award in 1995.
Bud Selig
Under Selig’s leadership Major League Baseball made record revenues of $5.2 billion in 2006, record attendance of more than 76 million, achieved a new labor deal without a slowing down, signed three new television and media agreements, signed stadium deals for Washington, Minnesota and Oakland, rolled out the first World Baseball Classic and had its seventh World Series champion in as many years.
So many achievements in such a short span made Selig the most deserving candidate for this award, and his efforts have been paid now.