NBA Problems

Today the Commissioner of the NBA, David Stern held a news conference to address the Tim Donaghy situation (if you are not familiar with Tim Donaghy, read this previous blog). Mr. Stern has long been considered a brilliant marketer and among the best commissioners of all time regardless of sport. His track record makes the outcome of the press conference all the more disappointing.

At no time did the Commissioner accept blame either personally or on behalf of the league he represents. He characterized the situation as the actions of "a rogue, isolated criminal." By placing all blame on Mr. Donaghy, Commissioner Stern in speaking for his league is damning it to repeated failures. As with all sports governing bodies, the NBA rates, judges and grades all officials on a regular basis. Mr. Donaghy's performance has been reviewed since the allegations against him were made public and it is clear that there have been warning signs over the last two seasons. Yet, the NBA still scheduled him to work playoff games.

It is understandable that the NBA feels the need to distance itself from the spectre of gambling and its capability (and seemingly in this case actuality) of corrupting the integrity of the game. The NBA would have been best served to take a little of the heat and outline a plan to prevent recurrances in the future. Instead, the NBA pointed their collective finger at difficulty in collecting background information, the criminal spirit of the individual and comparing Mr. Donaghy to a rogue CIA or FBI agent turning on their country.

Sadly, one of the greats in the sports management business has failed his league, its fans and himself.