From
Newsday:
Newsday has learned that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently called a top-secret meeting of the four major pro sports commissioners at the Waldorf, and apparently it wasn't merely to campaign to join their ranks as Paul Tagliabue's replacement.
It's gotta be a joke, right? Some sports page snarkery?
More below.
Nope, no joke.
Some of the commissioners apparently didn't know the exact nature of the meeting, which occurred almost two weeks ago, until they got to the Waldorf. According to people familiar with the top-level confab, upon arrival for the hush-hush affair, Rice told Tagliabue, Bud Selig, David Stern and Gary Bettman she was seeking ways to market our sports leagues abroad and to promote international relations through sports.
You might think Rice could find something better to do with her time. That very thought occurred to at least one or two of the commissioners, who already have good reason to believe they're making great strides with overseas marketing and, like us, probably have a hard time imagining that sports are the best way to improve our international relations.
Stern and Selig had to travel for the meeting, and at least one of the four was called away from important league business.
So if Rice's true intent was to solidify her chances to one day become NFL commish, her supposed dream job, she probably wasted her time. Not to mention the commissioners' time and the taxpayers' money.
Bush telling us that shopping was what Americans should do after 9/11;
Karen Hughes and her etiquette handbooks for US tourists travelling abroad;
Now Condoleeza Rice thinks "I Love This Game!" promotions in Arabic is the answer.