Government and Sports: This time they got it right

Recently, the US government has been sticking its nose into professional sports way to often, and coming up with nothing. There have been multiple hearing on steroids, which have produced nothing we hadn't already known.

They have wasted time and money and yet have not let up the attack as they continue to adamantly pursue Barry Bonds. It is common knowledge that Bonds did not achieve all of his accomplishments within the rules of either baseball or the law. The argument here isn't that Bonds should get away with breaking the law, but there are so many more important issues around the country for any branch of the government to focus any more time on this subject.

The NFL was investigated for Commissioner Roger Goodell's handling of the Patriot's video tape scandal. Again, throughout all of the hearings and meetings with those who had "inside information", the only thing Congress was able to determine was that everyone was sick and tired of hearing about Spygate. Chalk that whole episode up to another big waste of time and money.

The NBA was also involved in a recent episode where government officials were involved, but in this case the league reached out to a former federal prosecutor to help with an internal investigation. The Tim Donaghy referee scandal is one instance where the government is needed to step in, look around, and possibly clean up any of the skeletons lurking in the closet.

And today, the House of Representatives found another issue in sports that is worth pursuing. They will seek a presidential pardon for Jack Johnson, 46 years after his death.

Johnson's only offense is that he was offensive. He lived a life no different than any current professional athlete, and probably a little more modest than today's stars. Johnson, however, lived in a very different time and because he was a black man who did not lay down and follow the exceptionally misguided ethos of the time, he was labeled as a threat and, eventually, a criminal. He beat up white men and married a white woman, and for that the government conjured up a bogus federal charges which forced Johnson to flee the country, serve a year in federal prison, and ultimately loose his boxing career.

Seeking this posthumous presidential pardon won't do much for Johnson, but this decision is not just for Johnson. Through this pardon, the government is recognizing, admitting to, and attempting to rectify some serious wrongs they have committed against the black community and other minorities ever since the founding of this country. And although it might seem small and inconsequential, merely acknowledging some of the mistakes of the past will lead to positive change in the future. No matter your political affiliation, this is one House resolution we can all get behind.