My biggest comeback wish for sports is for a return to morality and ethical values for many of the “big sports” on television. In recent years, it seems like every one of the major sports has had an issue with its identity in the American public’s view. We can start with baseball’s steroid issue; football’s issues with some of their star players; basketball’s issue with the thug situation; and the possible gambling issue with referees. All of these issues need to be corrected.

Recently in the news, there have been reports that Congress has asked the FBI to investigate Miguel Tejada for perjuring himself in front of a Congressional Committee. He is not the first player suspected of lying to Congress about using performance enhancing drugs; Rafael Palmeiro was the first on that list.

Many of the players suspected of using steroids will have trouble getting into the Hall of Fame, just ask Mark McGwire. Yet the issue isn’t about the Hall of Fame, it’s about athletes standing up and doing what is right. At this point, there are very few athletes that do what’s right; and it seems that the number that do the opposite exceed them.

The sport of football is seeing incredible levels of success thanks to how it has marketed itself and has a team that is flirting with a season of perfection. Even so, in the eye of the American public, it does not mean the sport is without its flaws in the leadership of its players. A glaring example is the Michael Vick situation with dog fighting, which was a major black eye for the league. Yet, that was not the first issue involving Vick. Just over a year ago he was also caught in an Atlanta airport with a water bottle that had a suspicious “secret compartment” with marijuana residue in it.

Speaking of marijuana, the NFL did take positive steps in conveying the correct message to young fans when it suspended Ricky Williams of the Miami Dolphins indefinitely after numerous marijuana issues. This sent a clear message that the NFL felt marijuana was a dangerous drug and not just a recreational one as some athletes try to proclaim to their fans. Unfortunately, the league did go back on their decision and reinstate him in the second half of this season. That decision, however, sent a mixed message to young fans of the sport.

There is also the situation of Pacman Jones, who somehow thought his ill-conceived notion of taking thousands of dollars into a club and throwing it into the air for people to fight over was reasonable.

Oh, and don’t go thinking that performance enhancing drugs are not used by NFL players either. Hopefully they will not have to learn a hard lesson like Lyle Alzado. Many blame his steroid use in the 1980s for contributing to his death many years later.

Basketball, of course, has had a thug issue for the past several years. This ranges from players getting in fights off the court to actually climbing into the stands and fighting with fans. If this wasn’t enough, there is the issue of the latest controversy to hit the sport last year: the suspected gambling on the sport by a referee in the league.

These are just a few examples of some of the moral issues that major sports leagues throughout the country are dealing with. Are athletes expected to truly be role models for our children? No, that is the role of the parents, yet the sports themselves do have to take responsibility for the influence they have on children. Professional athletes are much more visible to many school age kids, due to their popularity with the media, than their parents are. This means that the major sports leagues have to step forward and start enforcing some sense of morality and fair play among their athletes.

This “ethical cleanup” has already begun in the NFL as their league administration has been very strict with recent penalties handed down to players. But, the question remains: Will the NFL continue with their recent string of strict penalties and will the other major sports leagues follow suit? Hopefully, in 2008, they will; and by doing so, all the leagues will help convey to young fans that they support the lessons that their parents are teaching them on a daily basis.