The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Sports

Over the past six months, professional sports and their highly marketed athletes have been forced to realize that their actions are monitored by the highest levels of the federal government.

Following an in-depth FBI investigation this past fall, NFL superstar Michael Vick was sentenced to just under two years in prison for his involvement in a dog fighting operation.

This stringent penalty proved that even the best athletes in the most prominent professional league are vulnerable to federal law enforcement.

Baseball is the sport that has consumed the most time of government officials.

Congress' analysis of steroid use in Major League Baseball has been progressing over five years and continues with probes against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, arguably the two best players in the past 10 years.

Throughout the steroid inquisition all levels of government have become involved, starting with the legislative branch where current and former senators are doing the majority of the investigating.

Once the congressmen complete their investigation, or decide if these athletes committed perjury, the issue is passed along to the judicial branch for sentencing.

Even the executive branch has become involved as President George Bush has been questioned about his knowledge of steroid use in the Texas Rangers organization that he once co-owned. He was quoted saying steroids had "sullied" baseball and its use sends a terrible message to America's youth.

This issue is important and must be resolved, but it should not consume the valuable time of serving congressmen and government officials. It is understandable when a retired senator like George Mitchell, author of The Mitchell Report, wants to use their influence to improve legitimacy of professional sports.

Problems arise when currently serving senators like Arlen Specter, R-Pa., use their valuable office hours to ensure that nobody is cheating in their favorite sport.

Specter is currently leading the investigation into the Patriots Spygate case along with the destruction of video tapes by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Though the NFL's actions are definitely sketchy, it doesn't warrant the obsession of a disgruntled Eagles fan. Specter wants to know whether or not the Patriots were stealing signals in the 2005 Super Bowl between Philadelphia and New England.

As a sports fan, I appreciate the attempt to ensure an equal playing ground for all professional leagues. I think that athletes who break the law or league drug policies should be punished for their actions.

At the same time, I feel that government officials should be working on legislation to improve our country rather than focusing the majority of their business hours on sports issues.

Many fans are grateful for the attempt to improve the integrity of professional sports, but government officials need to represent the citizens who elected them rather than obsess over athletic controversies.

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