Selig to Stay on as MLB Commish Till 2012

It was under Selig's watch that the use of steroids became pandemic in the game of baseball, many fans feel he is to blame and that he should be relieved of his duties, but not MLB owners. Yesterday at the MLB owners meeting in Phoenix, the owners asked Mr. Selig to stay on as commissioner till 2012.

From the New York Daily News:

Riding the crest of unprecedented financial success and an impressive performance before Congress Tuesday, Bud Selig agreed to stay on as Major League Baseball's commissioner for three more years.

Selig, 73, agreed to continue his reign just two days after he appeared at a Congressional hearing on the Mitchell Report on steroids, a report authored by former Sen. George Mitchell at Selig's behest.

MLB has set all-time attendance records in each of the last four years. In 2007, attendance showed 4% growth from 2006 as 79,503,175 fans attended regular season games at the 30 Major League ballparks. And, revenues have increased more than four-fold, from $1.2 billion in 1992 to $5.2 billion in 2006.

Details of his contract weren't immediately known, but Selig, the former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, was reported to have earned $14 million in 2007

This just proved what many people already knew, money is the only thing that matters. Bud Selig helped make the game of baseball and its owners a boatload of cash, and therefore everything else is forgotten. “Oh, you allowed steroids become embedded in the culture of the game? It’s ok Bud; we made a ton of money.”

But was it worth it? The answer may be yes, it may turn out that the fans don’t care much about steroids, and the money will continue to pour in through the gates. But what if it turns out that the fans do care. Is this short-term success of the game worth the possible future problems the sport may face? How many fans are going to be alienated from the baseball once the entire steroid story is told? There will be more books like Canseco’s Juiced hitting the bookstore shelves in the coming decade and beyond. If your favorite player is in outed in one of these future books, how will you then feel about the great American Pastime? You know it’s going to happen, and it’s going to be - at least partially – Bud Selig’s fault(the players association is also to blame). But he's doesn't care, he gets to keep his job, and make his $14-$17 million per year.

And don't forget, baseball might not have had to be saved in the late 90's if it wasn't for the 1994 strike which occurred while Selig was at the helm.

I hope the game will remain successful (and it probably will), because for me that's more important than Bud Selig getting what he deserves. It's just a shame that the owners are rewarding Selig for doing what was right for their bottom line, but wrong for the players, fans, and possibly, the future of the game.