If you have been following the latest news in the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, it looks like the commissioners in each sport have a lot of work to do. They all have a tough job in front of them.

The NFL is trying to deal with the Michael Vick allegations involving dog fighting.

The NBA seems to have its hands full with the damage of the FBI investigation in regards to referee Tim Donaghy, who allegedly bet on games he officiated. Baseball is attempting to handle the Barry Bonds situation. Bonds needs just three home runs to pass the all-time leader Hank Aaron. But he’s constantly being dogged by allegations of steroids use.

The commissioners, Roger Goodell (NFL), David Stern (NBA) and Bud Selig (MLB), have to be concerned about the incidents. It could have a huge effect on the fans. You don’t want their interest to wane because of these off-the-field problems. You don’t want them to stop coming to the games. You don’t want them to stop buying the merchandise. You don’t want them to stop watching and/or listening to the games on television and radio.

This may sound a little far-fetched to some people, but there’s some credence here.

For example, the television ratings for the NBA Finals were reportedly down 28 percent from the previous year. In case you forgot, we’re talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs. Moreover, we’re talking about LeBron James and Tim Duncan, two of the NBA’s greatest players. Plus, James and Duncan haven’t been involved any controversy. If the ratings continue to go down, they won’t be able to get the advertisers. If that happens, the league will certainly be in trouble.

The commissioners have to do a better job of policing their sports. There has to be more accountability. And that should come from the owners and general managers as well as other league officials.

Now, it’s hard to watching everything. You can’t monitor someone’s behavior 24 hours a day. Then again, you have to put something in place to maintain the image as well as the integrity of the game.

Unfortunately, we’re living during a time when people are not making the greatest decisions in the world. Athletes as well as coaches and other sports officials have used very poor judgment in a number of circumstances.

There needs to be a better plan to help curtail some of these problems. Now, that’s not to say that the leagues and pro teams don’t have programs in place to deal with these issues that come up, which seems like on a regular basis.

The commissioners need to sit down and take a good look at what’s going on with their respective sports. They have to show the fans that it’s more than just making money. It may mean putting tougher rules in place. It may mean showing a little sensitivity in rectifying certain issues. But something has to be done.