Who is the worst commissioner in sports? The role of a commissioner of a pro sports league is first to represent those that put him in power and make the entity as profitable as possible. That also means taking the brunt of public criticism, all the while being the face of changes to pro sports leagues that are meant for the betterment of the game.
Let’s dive into our list, ranking the best and worst commissioners in American pro sports.
1. NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell
Steve O’Donnell, named NASCAR CEO in April, doesn’t actually hold the direct title of commissioner. For all intents and purposes, that’s the role he serves for NASCAR. While he’s new to the role, O’Donnell has actually embraced delivering what fans and the athletes (drivers) have wanted to see. In an interview on Bussin’ With The Boys, he admitted that NASCAR “got a little bit away from who we are” and he saw a need to deliver what made fans fall in love with the sport.
NASCAR is bringing speedweek back to Daytona in 2027, it’s racing at the beloved Chicagoland Speedway again and O’Donnell recently announced long-desired changes to the stages that fans clamored for. NASCAR’s CEO also listened to the drivers and teams, increasing practice time and we’re no longer seeing drivers penalized for getting a little payback on the track, as long as they don’t admit that was their intention on the radio. More changes are coming, with further tweaks to the Next Gen car body and that’s just part of O’Donnell’s effort to collaborate with teams more and listen to what the fans want for future changes to the sport.
2. Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell epitomizes what it means for the head of a pro sports league to shield owners from public criticism and media scrutiny. That’s why he’s making more than $60 million per season at a time when the league is clearing $20 billion in revenue. He gets booed every year at the NFL Draft by fans, but he takes it in good spirits.
As for how players view him, an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic in 2023 found that 58.6 percent of players polled gave Goodell a thumbs up for his work as NFL commissioner, a significant improvement from the 61 percent disapproval rating he had in 2013. Goodell’s next big push, on behalf of owners, is expanding to an 18-game regular season and having all 32 teams play overseas once each season. That will certainly hurt how the NFL Players Association views him, but the bottom line is that players will ultimately like the added revenue that continues to increase salaries. At least compared to his peers, Goodell is getting everyone paid and helping the league navigate scandals.
3. Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman would probably be even lower on this list if some of his peers weren’t so good at tripping over their own feet publicly and at times unintentionally sabotaging the sport. Players have to be feeling a lot better about Bettman given the direction salaries are headed in thanks to the soaring salary cap, which also means a lot more revenue for NHL owners. Hockey’s future is bright for those directly involved in it. Even fans are starting to feel that way, as evidenced by The Athletic‘s poll this summer with 46.5 percent saying they are hopeful about the current state of the NHL with another 32.1 percent being enthusiastic.
Bettman is, however, in the process of having to regain the trust of the fan base and get the league itself back on track. That’s because there have been three lockouts during Bettman’s tenure as NHL commissioner, most recently impacting the 2012-13 season. Depriving fans of the sport they love and slowing down hockey’s chance for growth are marks on his resume that can take a decade-plus to overcome. To Bettman’s credit, though, there is finally a sense of hope for those inside the NHL and its supporters.
4. Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner
A few years ago, Adam Silver was viewed as the best commissioner in pro sports. He had a favorable reputation among players, delivered what owners wanted and was at least viewed respectably by fans. He has undone a lot of that in the last few seasons, particularly the last two years.
We will point to a few of the most recent sources of criticism. The NBA’s handling of the Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration scandal is approaching a calendar year, with Silver seemingly dodging when a resolution will be reached. One thing that reporting has made pretty clear, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer will face the least discipline, if any, from the NBA. That is even if the independent investigation that the league is paying for uncovers everything that Pablo Torre has reported on.
Speaking of NBA owners, they have to be elated with the fact that Silver helped get the second apron into the new CBA. Created under the guise of league parity, the reality is that it only exists to allow team owners to point to a league rule to explain why they can not spend more money. It is effectively a salary cap.
Bettman is, however, in the process of having to regain the trust of the fan base and get the league itself back on track. That is because there have been three lockouts during Bettman’s tenure as NHL commissioner, most recently impacting the 2012-13 season. Depriving fans of the sport they love and slowing down hockey’s chance for growth are marks on his resume that can take a decade-plus to overcome. To Bettman’s credit, though, there is finally a sense of hope for those inside the NHL and its supporters.
5. Rob Manfred, MLB Commissioner
The remarkable thing about MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is that while some of the rule changes that he pushed for have sped up games, he has still always found ways to tarnish his reputation. Some of that can be attributed to his role in working for the owners, but they are not the ones who told him to call the World Series trophy a piece of metal, nor were they the ones who handed the Houston Astros a slap on the wrist for the electronic sign-stealing scandal while not disciplining any of the players directly involved in it.
It also does not help that the MLB commissioner does not seem that big of a baseball fan. Instead, he primarily comes off publicly as a lawyer who was simply assigned the task of representing the sport. Manfred also rightfully gets criticized for MLB blackouts that prevent fans from watching their favorite teams locally, and do not even get us started on what he has allowed Athletics owner John Fisher to do with Oakland, Sacramento and Las Vegas. All of this, of course, just serves as the preamble to a looming MLB lockout in 2027 that could jeopardize most if not all of the 2027 season. That would be a permanent stain on Manfred’s resume and set baseball’s popularity back by decades.
6. Cathy Engelbert, WNBA Commissioner
Cathy Engelbert is the worst commissioner in pro sports and it is not particularly close, which says a lot given those listed just above her. It does not even feel accurate to give the WNBA commissioner credit for the league’s new TV deal and its increased popularity considering that more coincides with the arrival of Caitlin Clark, the presence of all-time great A’ja Wilson and the talent pool exploding in recent years.
In her tenure as WNBA commissioner, Engelbert has effectively allowed Clark to be used as a political prop, she brutally fumbled communication and treatment of players during CBA negotiations and the WNBA has not done remotely enough to come out stronger against harassment of its players. That is not even mentioning that she seems to have the worst approval rating among athletes of any commissioner in pro sports. Engelbert has also backed out on media appearances in critical moments when clarity and communication were essential.
Engelbert does not have the support of players whatsoever, for good reason, and the reception she receives from fans everywhere she goes speaks volumes about where she stands with the people spending money to support women’s basketball. Most alarmingly, Engelbert has seemingly allowed the WNBA to be used as a political prop with headlines focused on what happens off the court versus on it. It feels inevitable that she will be removed from the position and the WNBA’s future will be better off for it.
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