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There is a generation—if you are reading this, perhaps you’re a part of one of them—that sees sports commissioners as little more than stewards. Mete out a few fines, hand down a handful of suspensions, deal with a steady stream of criticism of officiating, all while watching network executives club each other to fork over multi-billion dollar contracts.
David Stern, the former NBA commissioner who passed away on Wednesday, wasn’t that. Before the NBA was a powerful global presence, before the price of television contracts soared and player salaries became the envy of the four major sports, it, well, wasn’t.