Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus Tuesday to discuss ethical practices within the MLB organization as part of Ethics Week, an event put on by the Wisconsin School of Business.
Selig graduated from UW-Madison in 1956 and became the MLB commissioner in 1996. He also established the Allan H. Selig Chair within the university’s history department, which focuses on the history of sports in the U.S. and their role in society.
During his presentation, Selig emphasized the need for honesty and integrity in professional sports, not only to ensure a fair game, but also to provide a memorable experience for the fans.
“Any doubt that this sport is completely honest cannot be tolerated,” Selig said.
Selig also discussed major hurdles baseball faced in the past, including illegal gambling, as well as cocaine and steroid abuse by players and staff.
Although some people criticized Selig for not being harsh enough in combating the league’s drug problem, which has plagued the sport for many years, he said he is “proud” of how the MLB handled the situation.
The league established programs to curb drug abuse among players, according to Selig, who said he was “proud” of the players for abiding by the guidelines he implemented.
Additionally, Selig stressed everyone involved in the MLB, from players to owners, must keep the sport’s best interests in mind when making trades and other decisions. He said commissioners should only get involved when the integrity of the sport is at stake.
“You do in the end what’s in the best interests for the sport,” Selig said. “But you do it always with behavior, ethical and moral behavior [which] is paramount. Nothing else matters. That’s why you’ll see commissioners get into situations.”
UW-Madison Sophomore Tim Rindahl said Selig’s discussion of the importance of morality in baseball and looking out for the best interests of the entire sport was very informative and beneficial for fans to hear.
“[Selig] explained how he had to do a lot of tough decisions, even though they weren’t popular, because they were for the better of baseball and I thought that was important,” Rindahl said.
