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As Bud Selig prepares to step down, grade his overall performance as MLB commissioner:
| A | 22% |
| B | 48% |
| C | 22% |
| D | 7% |
| F | 2% |
Responses: 875
What should be Rob Manfred’s first priority as commissioner?
| Pace of game | 42% |
| Youth marketing | 17% |
| Attendance | 8% |
Responses: 874
In 2005, readers easily voted “drug testing of players” as the biggest challenge facing the league, with twice the number of votes as the next-biggest issue of “increasing competitive balance across markets.” By year five of our survey, the top issue according to voters was “revenue and payroll disparity.”
Sponsors that do the best job activating around MLB:
| Anheuser-Busch | 68% |
| Chevrolet | 37% |
| MasterCard | 27% |
| Gatorade | 23% |
Responses: 837
Note: Respondents could make three selections.
In the last five years, MLB team that has shown the most innovation in its business practices:
| San Francisco Giants | 19% |
| Boston Red Sox | 14% |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 7% |
| New York Yankees | 7% |
Responses: 801
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Most effective team owner:
| Larry Baer (San Francisco Giants) | 23% |
| William DeWitt Jr. (St. Louis Cardinals) | 19% |
| John Henry/Tom Werner (Boston Red Sox) | 18% |
Responses: 853
Until this year’s survey, the results usually reflected the bitter rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, with Boston’s John Henry and Tom Werner slugging it out for the top spot with New York’s George and Hal Steinbrenner.
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Least effective team owner:
| Jeffrey Loria (Miami Marlins) | 21% |
| Fred Wilpon (N.Y. Mets) | 20% |
| Tom Ricketts (Chicago Cubs) | 9% |
Responses: 822
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Clayton Kershaw or Mike Trout?
| Mike Trout | 61% |
| Clayton Kershaw | 39% |
Responses: 849
