David Stern Is the Worst Commissioner in American Sports
It seems that, too often, those in charge of professional sports forget who really keeps their sports going. There is so much money at stake for the owners, players and leagues that they seemingly forget where the money comes from.
David Stern either doesn't care about public relations or, frankly, is doing it wrong.
Fans fill the seats and buy the jerseys and watch the telecasts that attract the advertisers to these sports properties. If the seats aren't filled, the teams can't charge as much for in-arena signage. If nobody is watching on TV, no companies will want to advertise.
Stern has created yet another PR nightmare and this one is all his fault.
This goes back way beyond the lockout: Stern has consistently positioned himself as a smug, pompous figure who sits on a seemingly untouchable perch above his game, looking down at his owners, players and fans.
Stern has done this to himself. It wasn't long ago that Stern was looked at as a visionary in professional sports. He led the charge toward expanding his league to a global market.
He weathered the last work stoppage and slowly but surely built his brand back to the level close to what it was in the 1990s. Yes, there were issues, but Stern carried himself like the man who had all the answers, because most of the time he did.
Not anymore. Stern still carries himself like he has all the answers. But the more Stern flexes his muscles to assert his unilateral control—the more he sits atop that perch looking down at everyone else—the less in control he seems.
The NBA lockout was one step toward Stern's eventual demise. He could not allow a work stoppage, especially after knowing it was going down that path for more than two years. It could not happen, but it did.
Say what you want about the economics of the deal, but the fact that games were missed this season should fall squarely on the shoulders of Stern. He and Billy Hunter were too entrenched in their own legacies—too damn smug—to realize what they were doing to their own sport.
The Chris Paul trade debacle is, somehow, even worse. Stern couldn't win either way on this trade, so he blew it up and, somehow, still lost.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that Paul going to the Lakers is a good thing for parity in the league. I'm simply suggesting that if Stern was going to veto the deal, he should have figured out a way to do it before word got out that it was done. Stern needed to handle this quietly so half a dozen players don't suddenly hate their current owners and everyone in basketball doesn't suddenly hate the NBA commissioner.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo spoke with an NBA executive who thinks Stern is ruining his own league:
"“To me, this makes the league feel like it’s rigged, that Stern just does whatever Stern wants to do. He’s messed up the competitive balance of this league a lot worse by killing the deal...I’ve never been so discouraged about this league, never so down."
"
How long will it be before executives start putting their names behind quotes like that, no longer afraid of Stern's wrath?
Who could have imagined that Stern could go from the best commissioner in American sports to someone Bud Selig is probably feeling sorry for right now? Or, more likely, thankful for, left wondering how much longer Stern can survive.
Stern is so concerned with his legacy and maintaining his control that he's systematically ruining both.
