Get That Man a Media Trainer
posted by Dan SkinnerWednesday, October 29th, 2008
Every time he’s in front of a camera, I wince watching Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Selig has lead America’s pastime since 1992, but in those 16 years I doubt he’s ever spent time with a media trainer. If he has, MLB should request a refund.
Selig was at the forefront Monday night, left to explain the bizarre circumstances that lead to Game 5 of the World Series becoming the first Fall Classic contest ever suspended mid-game due to weather. As he sat on the dais and stumbled through baseball’s rule book, Selig’s confused look leant credence to the theory that baseball’s brass were just making up rules on the fly. New York Daily News columnist John Harper summed Selig up best noting: “Selig tried to sound authoritative…but he just never comes off looking as if he has all the bases covered in these situations.”
Following Selig’s press conference, ESPN analysts criticized the commish for sounding so morose when the league had no reason to apologize for Mother Nature’s wrath. Whether he’s addressing baseball’s steroids scandal or handing the keys of a new Chevy to the All-Star Game MVP, Selig’s lack of polish is striking. His contemporaries, Roger Goodell (NFL), David Stern (NBA) and Gary Bettman (NHL), are far more competent at delivering a message. (Bettman’s success as NHL commissioner is debatable, but at least he speaks with authority.) When the season ends and baseball players begin off-season workouts, Selig should make media training part of his winter regimen.
