Meeting Of The Minds: Commissioners Meet For WSJ Sports Summit

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Stern, Selig, Goodell And Bettman Today  Take Part In WSJ Sports Summit

The commissioners of the four major American sports leagues appeared together this morning at a panel organized by the Wall Street Journal in a gathering believed to be the first such event with the four leaders since '00. The hour-long panel sought to cover a wide range of sports-related issues, including gambling, internationalization, and stadium development. But not surprisingly, some key parts of the discussion centered on economy-related issues, including ticket pricing that has come under increased scrutiny amid the global recession. NBA Commissioner David Stern said, "There are going to be adjustments based on the economy. There will be re-pricing mechanisms, some teams will need to cut prices, but the good ones will figure out a way to thrive." On the global front, the four execs strongly rebuffed moderator suggestions that they were surrendering growth opportunities to soccer, and conversely, said their global market share of entertainment-related consumer and sponsor spending was actually increasing due in part to cutbacks within the American and Indian film industries. "This is an area particularly where in five or 10 years, you're not going to be able to recognize our sport, it'll be so different," said MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. The mood among the four was light and collegial, which was to be expected given that each has been with his respective league for more than 15 years and they know each other well. But NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, in particular, directed several jocular barbs to the others, such as funneling a question on brawling to Stern and Selig. Despite the panel being entitled "The Future of Sports," the session did not at all address key forward-looking issues in the industry such as digital media proliferation and labor. Each of the four leagues faces an expiration of its current CBA within the next several years.

SELIG DEFENDS TEAMS' TICKET PRICING: Following the session, Selig defended his 30 clubs on the ticket-pricing issue, particularly the Yankees, which have come under heavy local pressure in their new $1.5B ballpark. "Clubs know their markets better than anyone, and I think overall, they've shown themselves to be really sensitive, and there's been more marketing around (affordability) than ever," Selig said. He also declined substantive comment on the new book about Alex Rodriguez and issues surrounding the Yankees 3B. Selig: "I'm of course aware of Selena Roberts and her credentials, but I'm not going to say anything further on that now."