Drugs, money, deception and gambling ..... and this time not in the banks!

Sport is in trouble. We've known it for a long time. As with many such things we have chosen to ignore it. If action isn't taken soon on, many fronts, we risk losing the true sporting contest for good.

The list of sporting controversies in recent times is long and undistinguished. Ranging from drug cheats to match fixing; from feigning injuries to possible gender deception. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Corruption and cheating is rife in almost every sport across the globe, and at every level. When sitting down to watch a sports event these days we get the sense that we are watching a piece of theatre, rather than a competition. The acts have been decided well in advance, and the actors on the pitch run through the script.

And, why is this allowed to happen? Why does what often amounts to criminal behaviour go unpunished? Simply: because there's a good buck to be made and interests won't let go of a profitable situation.

However, there are things that can be done to tackle this problem: 1) Wage caps, 2) a two-strike policy on drug use and doping, 3) routine involvement of the police in acts that might be deemed criminal behaviour, 4) the use of protectionism control foreign ownership of domestic teams and 5) most importantly a well structured youth education systems within academies.

These proposals aren't new, many have said, and wrote, and thought the same things before. I say it now because for the first time in a long time the interested parties may benefit from supporting these ideas. Sponsorship money is drying up. Viewing figures are down, as the reality TV generation can get their entertainment elsewhere. Many sports are looking at reducing their financial load. Sport is on the front page rather than the back. If governing organisations can act to morally renew their sport, they may also financially renew there bank balances.