The Commissioner’s Power to Redress Systematic Club Mismanagement

By Stephen F. Ross   The sports league commissioner is a unique office: its holder is selected by owners of clubs participating in a competition; these owners, who otherwise reserve to themselves all rights to govern the competition, nonetheless delegate to the commissioner broad powers to take action in the “best interests” of the sport.[1] This power was specifically and immediately envisioned to give baseball’s first commissioner, the legendary K. M. Landis, the power to decisivel