David Stern; Love Him or Hate Him, You Have to Admit He's Right

The most powerful position in sports is often considered to be the job held by Roger Goodell right now, commissioner of the National Football League. Football's extreme popularity and marketability supports that fact. But make no mistake, the most influential figure in sports is not Goodell, nor his predecessor Paul Taglibue. That honor goes to David Stern, the man who has helmed the top position in the National Basketball Association since 1984.

Just look at the state of basketball right now. The most exciting players to watch, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and so on, are all under the age of twenty-five. Almost every team in the NBA is highly competitive, to the point where with less then thirty games to go in the season, there are really only six to seven teams who have no chance to make the playoffs. And the game has become enthralling again, featuring fast offenses and superstar tandems, resembling little of the lethargic, defense-heavy games that had drawn yawns across the country.

All of these recent successes stems back to recent changes Stern made to the game. The early turn of the decade saw many teams ruining their future by wasting early draft picks on high-school unknowns. The Wizards suffered through Kwame Brown, while the Trailblazers took three consecutive high-school seniors in Sebestian Telfair, Martell Webster, and Travis Outlaw. Of the three, only one, Outlaw, has shown the ability to play in the NBA.

Not wanting to leave the fate of his league to the intelligence of general management, Stern quickly fast-tracked an age limit barring any player from entering the league before one year had spanned since their high school graduation. The result? Not only did the level of play in the NBA rise almost immediately, so to did the play in the NCAA. The best high school players went to big college programs, where they overcame growing pains, learned to lead, and developed experience against elite talent.

But that isn't the only change Stern has made. When his league's image had hit its worst peak of all-time following the Palace brawl, Stern was decisive and quick in handing out punishment. He suspended Ron Artest, the catalyst of the event, for a full season and imposed no-tolerance rules for fighting. Furthermore, he instituted a dress code as an effort to revamp his player's images for potential investors and promoters. A controversial rule at the time, the dress code was just the first of his moves to reinvent the NBA image. A rousing charitable effort at New Orleans, during All-Star festivities no less, was the result. The best NBA players, team officials and management, fans, sports writers, everyone, spent an entire day helping to rebuild a city devastated by natural disaster just two years before.

Stern never wavered on his commitment to New Orleans after the tragedy. Just as he never wavered with his perception on what his league should stand for. He has made mistakes before. The microfiber basketball he tried to impose last season is a recent example of one. But no one is perfect, and unlike others, Stern was quick to realize his err, replacing the new ball with old within a matter of months.

Look around the sports world and what do you see? Major League Baseball is constantly deterred by steroid allegations. The National Hockey League is still fighting off the after-effects of a season-long lockout. Even the aforementioned NFL has nothing but problems these days, from Spygate to their own steroid problems to troublemaking players like Pacman Jones.

Meanwhile, Stern and the NBA have shaken off a brief downturn and entered a new golden age. Every game means something again. The dunk contest has been revitalized by inventive dunks. And the title, for the first time in a while, is up for grabs for anyone of up to ten teams.

David Stern isn't going to be commissioner forever. He is, after all, sixty-five years old. But for those still questioning his contributions into the sporting world, just look at the NBA right now. Look for as many negatives you can with the sport and wonder how, in this day and age, there are little to none to be found. And accept that more than anyone else, Stern has reshaped an entire sport and made it much better than it was before.