From news services
MILWAUKEE — As commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig has presided over record revenues and attendance.
Which helps explain why his salary increased 22 percent to $18.35 million as of Oct. 31, 2007.
The salary, first reported by SportsBusiness Journal, was included in federal tax documents examined by the trade magazine.
The amount Selig was paid covers the last full year of work before he agreed to a three-year contract extension in January 2008 that will keep him as commissioner through 2012.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to the magazine, Selig’s pay includes $17.47 million in base compensation, $461,540 in contributions to employee benefit plans, and $422,590 in expense accounts and other allowances.
A Major League Baseball spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.
Baseball produced an estimated $6.5 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year. Last season, 78,624,324 fans flocked to ballparks, the second-highest turnout in baseball history.
Selig’s pay is likely higher than the other major sports commissioners. Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, earns at least $11.2 million, according to recent media reports.
David Stern, commissioner of the National Basketball Association, is believed to earn at least $10 million a year. Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League, was earning approximately $6 million in 2006, according to reports.
