Best Sports Commissioner of All Time

  • Thread starter Lanky Livingston
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Lanky Livingston

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We were having this discussion in the Sons Forum, and instead of derailing that thread, I figured we'd move it here.

Here is the prevailing notions so far:

1. Tags was the best of all time.
2. David Stern sucks the sweat off a dead man's junk.

Goaldie - wasn't it just a couple years ago the NBA all-star game in Vegas turned into a gangster convention, and a bunch of people got shot?
 
Actually, Lanky, my brother, the All Star game in Vegas was ruined because of NFL Players, not NBA. Go look it up, I think Pacman was involved as well as several others.

Love this thread, by the way.

Stern took over a league that was still running Finals games on tape delay in 1984 and has grown it to what it is today. Yeah, he had a lot of help from Larry, Magic and Michael, but his vision of global b-ball grew the league exponentially.

As for the thuggish image problem, as addressed in the other thread, Stern implemented changes to curtail that, including fewer tattoos, no more arguing with the refs, dress code before and after the games, etc. The corporate sponsors and ticket holders felt more at home and less at odds with the product on the floor. So yes, there was a problem, but Stern corrected it.

Which is what a commissioner should do.

The only anti-Tags thing I will throw out is the last collective bargaining agreement. That was designed to save face for he and Upshaw, and was the genesis of the problems we have today. If he had his eyes turned to the future instead of worrying about his legacy, we might not have the work stoppage today.
 
If Stern gets credit for growing the NBA, then Tags gets credit for growing the NFL into the juggernaut it is today. No work stoppages under his watch, Five CBA extentions, free agency, the salary cap, NFL expansion, etc. And the NFL is a much larger entity than the NBA will ever be at this point.

As far as Tags looking to his legacy in the 2006 negotiations, the owners voted 30-2 for that proposal. Just saying...
 
Lanky Livingston said:
We were having this discussion in the Sons Forum, and instead of derailing that thread, I figured we'd move it here.

Here is the prevailing notions so far:

1. Tags was the best of all time.
2. David Stern sucks the sweat off a dead man's junk.

Goaldie - wasn't it just a couple years ago the NBA all-star game in Vegas turned into a gangster convention, and a bunch of people got shot?
Click to expand...

You speak so elequently on the matter :laugh:

Goaldeje said:
Stern took over a league that was still running Finals games on tape delay in 1984 and has grown it to what it is today. Yeah, he had a lot of help from Larry, Magic and Michael, but his vision of global b-ball grew the league exponentially.
Click to expand...
It was SOLELY because of who you named that the league is even still around in my opinion. With or without Stern, those guys are responsible for where the league is today.

Goaldeje said:
Stern implemented changes to curtail that, including fewer tattoos, no more arguing with the refs.......
Click to expand...
He doesn't want arguing with the refs, because he has them working things to make sure the same 3 or 4 big draw teams keep winning titles.
 
Rozelle grew the NFL out of nothing and made it what it is today
 
Extreme said:
You speak so elequently on the matter :laugh:
Click to expand...

I feel certain you meant to attribute that to my posts, not Lanky's. Oversight, I'm sure. You're new, I'll cut you some slack. This time. :)

Extreme said:
It was SOLELY because of who you named that the league is even still around in my opinion. With or without Stern, those guys are responsible for where the league is today.
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Listen, denying that statement is insane. Those three players almost single handedly (triple handedly?) saved the league. Stern capitalized on the Dream Team by making it an international game. Trust me when I tell you, he is at the very least partly responsible for the growth of the league.

Extreme said:
He doesn't want arguing with the refs, because he has them working things to make sure the same 3 or 4 big draw teams keep winning titles.
Click to expand...

OK, have to call you on this one. Granted, the last three years have been Boston/LA, but I believe the San Antonio Spurs have won 4 times in the last 13 years. And Detroit won once in that time span. And the Heat (before they became the Heatles - worst nickname ever, btw). None of which are anywhere near the biggest draws.

In fact, if your statement were true, Stern would have had Isaiah Thomas killed sometime in the past 10 years so the Knicks could have been relevant.
 
Lanky Livingston said:
If Stern gets credit for growing the NBA, then Tags gets credit for growing the NFL into the juggernaut it is today. No work stoppages under his watch, Five CBA extentions, free agency, the salary cap, NFL expansion, etc. And the NFL is a much larger entity than the NBA will ever be at this point.

As far as Tags looking to his legacy in the 2006 negotiations, the owners voted 30-2 for that proposal. Just saying...
Click to expand...

The ONLY argument I have against Tags in what you just said is 1) he has done virtually NOTHING internationally. Outside of the US, the world cares little for futbol Americano. And 2) Fantasy Football deserves a LOT of credit for the explosion in the sport's popularity.

I'm not saying Tags was a bad commish. Not trying to demonize him. Just saying Stern has had less to work with in some cases, and done very, very well.
 
By the way, for fairness' sake, here are three strikes against Stern:

1) the upcoming labor situation is going to be nasty. Worse than the NFL by all accounts. It's not all Stern's fault (why are the owners giving Chris Bosh a $111 million contract?), but some of it is.

2) the move of the Sonics from Seattle to OK City was handled about as poorly as it could have been.

3) Donald Sterling is still an owner.
 
Football is AMURICA! We don't need to go international! :)
 
Goaldeje said:
3) Donald Sterling is still an owner.
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To be fair, Tags let Dan Snyder buy the Redskins, so this one is a wash.























Just jokes, people! I know you Snyder monkeys are going to jump all over me for that one. lol
 
Sarge said:
Rozelle grew the NFL out of nothing and made it what it is today
Click to expand...

Rozelle was a large part, but he only started it. Tags took it to the next level. The NFL would have never survived under its previous structure (see strikes of 82, 87).
 
Goaldeje said:
Would have expected that from Sarge, not Lanky. :)
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LOL - that post was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, however I don't really understand the whole international appeal. Yes, they will bring in more money, but they already make so much. I guess its never enough...
 
Lanky Livingston said:
LOL - that post was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, however I don't really understand the whole international appeal. Yes, they will bring in more money, but they already make so much. I guess its never enough...
Click to expand...

That's for sure. Stern also got lucky with Yao Ming, who has made the NBA incredibly marketable and popular in China. Stern did a good job marketing, give him credit there.
 
Lanky Livingston said:
To be fair, Tags let Dan Snyder buy the Redskins, so this one is a wash.




Just jokes, people! I know you Snyder monkeys are going to jump all over me for that one. lol
Click to expand...


Really? People would argue?

And is a Snyder monkey like a spider monkey?
 
Pete Rozelle. Although Tagliabu should be given credit for a job well done, Pete Rozelle took the NFL from a 12 team league battling the AFL for fan loyalty to a 28 team juggernaut by the time he retired. Tagliabu had the privilege of succeeding the man who created the modern day NFL.

As for Stern and the NBA, I really don't care about the NBA anymore. I like that Stern has taken steps to clean up the image of the NBA. But with Lebron, I play for the money and was anointed King before I ever did anything, James, and Kobe, don't go to a hotel room with me, Bryant as the face of the NBA, I just don't care.

I think Stern deserves some credit, but the NBA was saved and catapulted to a new stratosphere because of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Then, Michael Jordon came along and took the NBA even higher. Stern was along for the ride. Did he play a part in the direction of the NBA? Sure, but anyone with half a brain could have ridden that wave. I am not trying to minimize what Stern has done, but he sure wasn't the major factor in the NBA ascension during the 80's and 90's.
 
Rozelle would get my vote for best all time. Tags would be a close second or probably the most underrated commissioner.

Tags did a great job, but just has never received the credit.
 
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