Already surpassing David Stern in one year
It only took a year, but Adam Silver is already ranking as the most influential person in sports business according to SportsBusiness Daily. Former commissioner David Stern never achieved this high a ranking in his entire tenure in the NBA, so that speaks volumes as to how influential he has been the past year, amidst the Donald Sterling controversy.
Also rounding out the Top 5 are ESPN President John Skipper, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, former and newly hired MLB commissioners Bud Selig & Rob Manfred and at No. 5, Roger Goodell.
With the huge public backlash against Goodell in the wake of controversy surrounding Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson (and other players accused of domestic violence), it is somewhat surprising he slid down to the No. 5 spot, with public perception with him and the league at an all-time low.
Top 10 Most Influential People in Sports Business
Adam Silver (NBA)
John Skipper (ESPN)
Robert Kraft (The Kraft Group)
Bud Selig/Rob Manfred (MLB)
Roger Goodell (NFL)
Sean McManus (CBS Sports)
Ari Emanuel/Patrick Whitesell (WME-IMG)
David Levy (Turner)
Gary Bettman (NHL)
Brian France (NASCAR)
Inside the Top 50, Steve Ballmer, Jerry Jones and Dan Gilbert show up towards the top, with another notable Mark Cuban, barely making the cut at No. 47.
Check out the entire Top 50 over at Sports Business Daily.
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