While Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is widely recognized for his extensive career in Major League Baseball, first as an owner and then as Commissioner, his influence extends significantly beyond the baseball diamond. Since stepping down from his official role as Commissioner, and even during his tenure, Selig has dedicated himself to education, community engagement, and maintaining a connection to the sport through various initiatives. These endeavors highlight
a commitment to shaping future generations and preserving the history of baseball.
A New Chapter in Academia
In 2009, Selig embarked on a new path, beginning to teach as an adjunct professor of sports law and policy at Marquette University Law School. His courses covered a wide array of topics pertinent to the sports industry, including the historical development of collective bargaining and free agency, the unique antitrust exemption enjoyed by baseball, and the intricacies of revenue sharing. He also delved into more specialized areas of sports law, such as intellectual property rights, ambush marketing, and the reasons behind baseball's restrictions on game footage on platforms like YouTube.
His commitment to education further deepened in 2010 when he endowed the Allan H. Selig Chair in the History of Sport and Society in the United States at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Concurrently, he established a Distinguished Lecture Series in Sport and Society at the same institution. The inaugural lecture in this series was delivered by Adrian Burgos. Selig has since continued his support for the university's history department by endowing two additional chairs, demonstrating a sustained interest in academic discourse surrounding sports. In February 2016, he expanded his academic reach, beginning to teach at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he holds the title of distinguished professor of sports in America. He also continues to lecture at both UW–Madison and Marquette.
Personal Life and Community Connections
Selig's personal life has also been intertwined with his professional journey. He has been married twice. His first marriage was to Donna Chaimson in the 1950s, with whom he had two daughters, Sari (born 1957) and Wendy (born 1960). This marriage concluded in divorce in 1976 after 19 years, with the grounds cited as Selig's "unduly absenting yourself from the home of the parties and isolating yourself ... in pursuit of your baseball interests to the detriment of your marriage." Chaimson later famously remarked that her husband "divorced me and married baseball." Since 1977, Selig has been married to Suzanne Steinman, who has a daughter from a previous marriage.
His community involvement is also evident through various honors and recognitions. In 2016, Selig was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. This award, created to uphold Coach Lombardi's legacy, is presented annually to an individual who embodies the spirit of the legendary coach. Furthermore, in May 2015, the Milwaukee Brewers unveiled the "Selig Experience" exhibit at American Family Field, a fifteen-minute documentary celebrating his life and contributions to the team, solidifying his place in the community's history.
