In Detroit there appears to be a long-standing conflict of interest with respect to the ownership of the Detroit Tigers as well as the Motor City Casino, purchased by Ilitch Holdings, Inc. in 2005, which purportedly owns both entities simultaneously.
Michael Ilitch and his wife, Marion Ilitch, are listed as the Tigers’ owner and the Motor City Casino owner, respectively. The question arose when it was revealed that Marion Ilitch is Vice Chairman of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. which also owns the Detroit Tigers. But Ilitch friend and Commissioner Bud Selig overlooked the proprietary conflict and asked his staff to stand-down.
There is indeed no shortage of casino sponsorships throughout the major and minor leagues of baseball. The Atlanta Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Florida Marlins and the Chicago Cubs all have contractual sponsorships with Indian casinos, gambling interests or state lotteries.
So what impact does this state of affairs have on the “best interests of baseball?” One could say that it was precipitated by Commissioner Ueberroth’s comments“…there’s a need for new rules.” Or did Bud Selig’s multi-billion dollar empire become too greedy for MLB’s own good by accepting a strong presence of gambling partnerships throughout the leagues? Has the appetite for big bucks clouded Selig’s judgment and has he crossed the line?
For MLB must be careful not to step on that 3rd rail; that which endangers its integrity. After all, MLB itself has already gambled on fan loyalty after nearly 20 years of the Steroid Era, also on Selig’s watch.
And finally, if the apparent overlap between gambling interests and MLB is not clear to the MLB Commissioner, then why is he so clear on keeping Pete Rose “permanently ineligible” and forever denying his chance of realizing his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Copyright ©2009 Diane M. Grassi
Contact: dgrassi@cox.net
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