Time after Gary Bettman?

[ponder719]

Thought this was interesting, so for some context I looked up the immediate previous job or two of every leader of the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL, to see where they came from.

MLB:

Kenesaw Mountain Landis - Judge
Happy Chandler - Senator from Kentucky
Ford Frick - NL President
William Eckert - General
Bowie Kuhn - Lawyer (for MLB)
Peter Ueberroth - Chair, LA Olympic Organizing Committee (Airline executive)
Bart Giamatti - NL President (formerly President, Yale University)
Fay Vincent - Deputy Commissioner (formerly EVP of Coca-Cola)
Bud Selig - Owner, Milwaukee Brewers (was car salesman)
Rob Manfred - COO, MLB (was lawyer)

NFL (since 1941):

Elmer Layden - Head Coach, Notre Dame
Bert Bell - co-owner, Pittsburgh Steelers, founder, Philadelphia Eagles
Austin Gunsel (acting) - NFL Treasurer
Pete Rozelle - General Manager, Los Angeles Rams
Paul Tagliabue - Lawyer (for NFL)
Roger Goodell - EVP and COO, NFL

NBA:

Maurice Podoloff - President, Basketball Association of America and President, American Hockey League (was lawyer)
J. Walter Kennedy - Mayor of Stamford, CT
Larry O'Brien - Chair, Democratic National Committee (formerly Postmaster General of the United States)
David Stern - General Counsel and EVP, NBA
Adam Silver - Deputy Commissioner and COO, NBA

NHL:

Frank Calder - Secretary and Treasurer, National Hockey Association (formerly editor for several Canadian newspapers)
Red Dutton - Head Coach and President, New York Americans
Clarence Campbell - Lt. Col. and Queen's Counsel, Canadian Army (formerly NHL executive and referee)
John Ziegler - lawyer
Gil Stein - General Counsel and Vice President, NHL (formerly COO and EVP, Philadelphia Flyers)
Gary Bettman - SVP and General Counsel, NBA

 

[Noldo]

I think that legal background makes lots of sense for the commissioner in the current landscape as the duties include arbitration, both in official sense under the CBA as well as more informal mediation of interest between the owners, as well as drafting and negotiating the CBA, a hybrid between a contract and a piece of legislation.

As Daly is only 60 (turning 61 this year), he should have good 5-6 years at minimum left once Bettman retires. Good for one CBA cycle so this makes him definitely heir apparent and clear favorite.

Could there be some quasi political candidate? I guess we would be looking at AGs or other high profile civil servants from (big?) Republican states or former cabinet members (like Walsh on the players’ side).

 

[Yukon Joe]

Thought this was interesting, so for some context I looked up the immediate previous job or two of every leader of the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL, to see where they came from.

MLB:

Kenesaw Mountain Landis - Judge
Happy Chandler - Senator from Kentucky
Ford Frick - NL President
William Eckert - General
Bowie Kuhn - Lawyer (for MLB)
Peter Ueberroth - Chair, LA Olympic Organizing Committee (Airline executive)
Bart Giamatti - NL President (formerly President, Yale University)
Fay Vincent - Deputy Commissioner (formerly EVP of Coca-Cola)
Bud Selig - Owner, Milwaukee Brewers (was car salesman)
Rob Manfred - COO, MLB (was lawyer)

NFL (since 1941):

Elmer Layden - Head Coach, Notre Dame
Bert Bell - co-owner, Pittsburgh Steelers, founder, Philadelphia Eagles
Austin Gunsel (acting) - NFL Treasurer
Pete Rozelle - General Manager, Los Angeles Rams
Paul Tagliabue - Lawyer (for NFL)
Roger Goodell - EVP and COO, NFL

NBA:

Maurice Podoloff - President, Basketball Association of America and President, American Hockey League (was lawyer)
J. Walter Kennedy - Mayor of Stamford, CT
Larry O'Brien - Chair, Democratic National Committee (formerly Postmaster General of the United States)
David Stern - General Counsel and EVP, NBA
Adam Silver - Deputy Commissioner and COO, NBA

NHL:

Frank Calder - Secretary and Treasurer, National Hockey Association (formerly editor for several Canadian newspapers)
Red Dutton - Head Coach and President, New York Americans
Clarence Campbell - Lt. Col. and Queen's Counsel, Canadian Army (formerly NHL executive and referee)
John Ziegler - lawyer
Gil Stein - General Counsel and Vice President, NHL (formerly COO and EVP, Philadelphia Flyers)
Gary Bettman - SVP and General Counsel, NBA

OK, but look at their training and education (and FYI - a JD is a law degree):

MLB:
Robb Manfred - JD Harvard, worked for a law firm
Bud Selig - NAL
Fay Vincent - JD Yale, worked for a law firm

NFL:
Roger Goodell - wait my mistake - NAL
Paul Tagliabue - JD BYU, practiced law

NBA:
Adam Silver - JD Chicago, practices law at Cravath (the whitest-shoe law firm)
David Stern - JD Columbia, was GC for the NBA

NHL:
Gary Bettman - JD BYU, worked for a law firm
Gil Stein - JD Boston, worked in a law firm and as a prosecutor


I will concede that earlier in time being a lawyer didn't seem to be as much of a requirement

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Once we’re.

You just reinforced my position. Thank you.

You’re not bringing any new facts to this dialogue that would help you convince anyone that this is a good idea. Our chat has run its course.

Putting the Canadian teams together in one division would serve to intensify the the rivalries between the Canadian teams, thus giving Canadian TV partners more games between 2 Canadian teams every year, which would be good for ratings.

Likewise, grouping the American teams into 4 divisions based around the four main regions of the country would serve to intensify those rivalries.

 

[New Jersey Devil]

That’s one opinion. However if you think one big division of Canadian teams is some sort of solution to what you believe is a problem, I encourage you to employ some logic and think again.

I highly doubt any Canadian team owners want a division like this. It would span 4 time zones (Pacific, Mtn, Central And Eastern) making broadcasting games a challenge for viewership in a prime time window. Intra-divisional flight distances (and costs) for most teams would increase. Van, Calgary and Edmonton can fly to Seattle, SJS, LA & Anaheim faster than they can fly to TO, Ottawa or Montreal.

Again, no thanks. This is just creating a problem where their currently isn’t one.

I don't think that the players want this either.

Putting the Canadian teams together in one division would serve to intensify the the rivalries between the Canadian teams, thus giving Canadian TV partners more games between 2 Canadian teams every year, which would be good for ratings.

Likewise, grouping the American teams into 4 divisions based around the four main regions of the country would serve to intensify those rivalries.

The players would probably never go for this.

 

[Yukon Joe]

The broadcasters would love an All-Canadian division. There's a reason Sportsnet/CBC slobbers all over Hockey Day in Canada, when it's all-Canadian matchups.

Western Canadian markets would love an all-Canadian division. There's not much difference between an Edmonton-LA flight and an Edmonton-Toronto flight, but Canadian matchups always draw better.

Eastern Canadian markets do not want an all-Canadian division. There's a huge difference in travel lengths. As well while western Canadian teams draw well, so do eastern teams like NYR or Boston.

Snowbird markets like Florida, or Vegas do not want to lose Canadian dates because again those teams draw well.

Plus now that it's a 32 team league the math no longer works out - you'd need an 8th team, or have to go with unequal divisions. The NHL can obviously do whatever they want (like an Atlantic division with Canadian teams plus Florida teams), but it would be awkward.

 

[brentashton]

The broadcasters would love an All-Canadian division. There's a reason Sportsnet/CBC slobbers all over Hockey Day in Canada, when it's all-Canadian matchups.

Western Canadian markets would love an all-Canadian division. There's not much difference between an Edmonton-LA flight and an Edmonton-Toronto flight, but Canadian matchups always draw better.

Eastern Canadian markets do not want an all-Canadian division. There's a huge difference in travel lengths. As well while western Canadian teams draw well, so do eastern teams like NYR or Boston.

Snowbird markets like Florida, or Vegas do not want to lose Canadian dates because again those teams draw well.

Plus now that it's a 32 team league the math no longer works out - you'd need an 8th team, or have to go with unequal divisions. The NHL can obviously do whatever they want (like an Atlantic division with Canadian teams plus Florida teams), but it would be awkward.

Canadian broadcasters also don’t want to lose dates with the likes of Boston, Chicago (Bedard), SJ (Cellebrini), DRW, etc., as these teams and others also draw very well in western Canada . There is zero allure/magic in having an all Canadian division. It would get highly stale fast. Fans and players said so after the mandated bubble matchup of the great societal reset.

Eastern, like western teams, as you state do not want to increase costs and travel expenses with a silly division stretching across Canada.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Canadian broadcasters also don’t want to lose dates with the likes of Boston, Chicago (Bedard), SJ (Cellebrini), DRW, etc., as these teams and others also draw very well in western Canada . There is zero allure/magic in having an all Canadian division. It would get highly stale fast. Fans and players said so after the mandated bubble matchup of the great societal reset.

Eastern, like western teams, as you state do not want to increase costs and travel expenses with a silly division stretching across Canada.

The North Division got old during the pandemic because you only played within the division. So your team ONLY played 6 other teams that year.

In a regular season though you'd still be playing the rest of the league - you'd just be playing Canadian matchups more often.

Like I said above - there's pluses and minuses. But to pretend there's no pluses to an all-Canadian division is just ignorant.

 

[rojac]

The North Division got old during the pandemic because you only played within the division. So your team ONLY played 6 other teams that year.

In a regular season though you'd still be playing the rest of the league - you'd just be playing Canadian matchups more often.

Like I said above - there's pluses and minuses. But to pretend there's no pluses to an all-Canadian division is just ignorant.

Sorry, i see no pluses. I personally have zero interest in seeing Canadian teams more than American ones. From my point of view, it just increases the number of games at weird times for viewers.

I'm also not terribly big on anything that separates Canadian teams from American ones.

That being, there is a part of me that likes the idea of maximizing the number of Canadian teams that can make the playoff#, so i'd kind of like to see one of Edmonton or Calgary moved to the Central and one of the Leafs, Sens, or Habs moved to the Metropolitan with the idea that if Hamilton or Quebec somehow does manage to get a franchise, that team would also to in the Metro.

 

[Voight]

Pete Rozelle is arguably the greatest commissioner in NA sports history and he was able to negotiate massive TV deals, multiple CBA's without having any legal background.

I know it's not a coincidence the current commissioners are all lawyers, but the NHL has plenty of those in house already. Not to mention the money to hire the best firms in the business if need be.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Pete Rozelle is arguably the greatest commissioner in NA sports history and he was able to negotiate massive TV deals, multiple CBA's without having any legal background.

I know it's not a coincidence the current commissioners are all lawyers, but the NHL has plenty of those in house already. Not to mention the money to hire the best firms in the business if need be.

Pete Rozelle was born in 1926 - 99 years ago. He was made commissioner in 1959 at age 33. He is not a modern example.

I'm not trying to say that lawyers have some magical powers when given their JD (or LL.B!) that makes them automatically more qualified to be Commissioners.

I'm just trying to say that if you want to handicap who the next Commissioner might be - whether they are a lawyer or not is a key consideration.