Professional sports, it turns out, is just as lucrative for the haggard old white guys that sit in the skyboxes as it is for the guys on the field or court or rink or pitch or bullring or whatever.
The Sports Business Journal recently reported that Bud Selig earned $14.5 million for being the commissioner of Major League Baseball in 2006--or slightly less than the entire payroll of the 2006 Florida Marlins. Their source? MLB's tax return. It's nice to know that even huge corporate trusts have to play by the rules from time to time.
The publication, citing unidentified sources, said Selig received a $6 million base salary, an equal amount in a bonus and the remainder in expenses and personal fees.
Six million? That's Gregg Jefferies money right there. But why the bonus? Does a man that foisted interleague play and the unbalanced schedule on an unwary public deserve as such?
Bud's from Wisconsin, right? That's the cradle of American progressivism. I think it's time to demand executive recall in America's pastime. Consider this a call to arms. Or, if you're a Blue Jays fan, an excuse to write a sternly-worded letter.
Selig Earned $14.5 Million In Fiscal 2005 [FoxSports.com]
