Bud Selig announced last September that he will be stepping down as Commissioner of Major League Baseball after the 2014 season. According to reports, his successor could be decided by next week, as the search has been narrowed to three candidates.
Selig has been the MLB Commissioner since 1992 and has had an illustrious tenure despite what others might think. He has dealt with the steroid-era and the Biogenesis Scandal, all the while increasing the MLB's revenue from $1.2 billion to $9 billion over the course of 20-plus years. Additionally, baseball arguably has the greatest parity in any American professional sport.
Major League Baseball owners will vote on Selig's successor in exactly one week, on August 14. According to a high-ranking MLB executive, the owners will be choosing between three candidates: Rob Manfred, Tim Brosnan and Tom Werner. These three men have extensive experience in the business and it's important that every baseball fan knows who they are, what they do, and how they'll be able to effectively operate as the league's commissioner.
Since September 28, 2013, Rob Manfred has been the MLB's chief operating officer (COO) and his daily responsibilities dictate he report directly to the Commissioner and oversee the myriad functions of the Commissioner's Office, which include labor relations, baseball operations, finance, administration and club governance. Prior to this position, he served as the Executive Vice President of Labor Relations for 15 years and led the negotiations for the league's collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in 2002, 2006 and 2011. Manfred has a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Tim Brosnan has been the MLB's Executive Vice President of Business since February of 2000. His duties include overseeing all domestic and international business functions of MLB's Office of the Commissioner. This entails licensing, sponsorship, domestic and international broadcasting, special events, and MLB Productions. He's been working within the MLB organization since 1991 and also served as VP of International Business Affairs, Chief Operating Officer of MLB International, and Senior VP of Domestic and International Properties.
And last but not least, Tom Werner is the chairman of the Boston Red Sox. He's been part of the Red Sox ownership group since 2002 and prior to that he was the principal owner of the San Diego Padres from 1990-1994. He's currently on the board of directors of the MLB Network, MLB Enterprises, and MLB Properties. He also served as the executive producer for 'The Cosby Show', 'Roseanne' and 'That '70s Show.' According to sources, he has impressed throughout the interview process for the commissioner position.
The voting will take place next Thursday, in which 23 of 30 MLB team owners must approve the new commissioner before he takes office. You can read more about the MLB Commissioner voting process in this USA Today article.
