Selig to give Taylor lecture

Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig will be on campus next month, giving a lecture called, “Talking Baseball: The Challenges of Communicating in Turbulent Times.”

Selig, who earned bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from UW–Madison in 1956, will speak on Tuesday, April 10, from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge of the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.

Selig is the ninth commissioner of Major League Baseball and the former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, bringing baseball back to the state’s biggest city in 1970.

“As baseball commissioner over the last 20 years, Bud Selig has learned much about communicating to media, players, owners and baseball fans about a range of topics,” says Karyn Riddle, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication. “While some, like the creation of the wild card in the playoffs, have been great for engaging more fans, others, like allegations of steroid use or the 1994 players’ strike, have been harder to manage. We’re looking forward to hearing about some of what he’s learned.”

Two years ago, Selig established the Allan H. Selig Chair in History at the university. The chair will support a new faculty position focusing on teaching and research on the development of professional sports and their national and social contexts, such as race, gender, labor relations, economics, and how sports influence and reflect broader social change. The Selig Chair is expected to allow the university to be a leader in the emerging field of American sports history.

Selig plans to return to campus after his retirement to write his memoirs and help contribute to his legacy in the field of history.

Each year, the Taylor Lecture welcomes a distinguished communications professional to UW–Madison to deliver a lecture to the campus, community and students of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The lecture honors Robert Taylor, a longtime journalism professor, former chief public relations officer for the university and a one-time university vice president who passed away in 2002. This annual lecture is made possible through the support of the Robert and Judith Taylor Journalism Fund, which started in 2007.