Not saying he wasn't a bright guy and a visionary in many ways but the times makes the man as much as the man makes the times for a lot of figureheads (presidents fall into this category more than people would like to admit)
The rise of cable television in the early 90's and the internet in the late 90's obviously has been huge for the commercialization of every sports league. Maybe not a turnkey operation but I don't exactly think he was Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, let's put it that way.