Is Rob Manfred the New Worst Commissioner in Sports?

Remember when baseball fans rejoiced when former commissioner Bud Selig retired in 2015? Not only was he in charge of MLB during the infamous strike of 1994, but he largely turned a blind eye to the Steroid Era which, despite what it did for the sport's popularity, still serves as a major blemish on its overall reputation.

Amazingly enough, current commish Rob Manfred has essentially asked Selig to hold his beer. The incompetence the former has displayed during his five-year post has grown nothing short of abominable, and it really begs the question: is he the new worst commissioner in sports?

Twitter certainly seems to think so.

Rob Manfred is the worst commissioner in the history of baseball and is ruining the game we all love. Oh, and screw the owners too for caring more about money than the sport.
— Mike (@ChiSoxFanMike) June 3, 2020

Not only has Manfred proved to have no backbone in terms of doling out reasonable punishments to the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox for their damning sign-stealing scandals that helped them win a world championship, but the league is on the cusp of permanently fracturing its reputation amid a financial dispute with players. If the 2020 season is cancelled -- and it's looking increasingly likely that will happen -- Manfred being the worst commissioner in sports won't be up for debate anymore.

We won't even bother mentioning how he stacks up against Adam Silver, the NBA's innovative commander-in-chief. NHL commish Gary Bettman has earned his fair share of criticism, particularly earlier on in his tenure, but the league is currently showcasing great resourcefulness to resume the 2020 campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The only like-for-like comparison for Manfred is MLS boss Don Garber, who famously bungled the issue of white supremacists residing among the New York City FC fan base last year by both-sidesing. As reprehensible as that was, MLS managed to embarrass Major League Baseball this week by finalizing a revised collective bargaining agreement through 2025 that will pave the way for a return to the pitch this summer.

MLS, Players reach new agreement, sets stage for resuming 2020 season. https://t.co/TZ9fSHa9uB
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 3, 2020

For those uninformed on MLS' previous predicament, at this time last week the American-based soccer league seemed destined to enter a lockout. Garber deserves credit for helping resolve that mess.

The fact of the matter is that baseball has suffered under Manfred's tutelage. Seriously, try to identify what he's actually accomplished for the better in five years at the helm. The negatives far outweigh the positives, and that alone confirms he's the worst commissioner in sports.