I have never been much of at all a fan of professional sports and this week is certainly a reminder of why not, with the basketball referee betting scandal and Michael Vicks’ showing his true stripes, as well as the ongoing collapse of the integrity of the bicycle racing world. At least the spotlight has temporarily been lifted from Barry Bonds’ ignominy.

Thinking further about these issues, I had a brilliant idea. Why not simply allow performance-enhancing drugs … for the referees? And, instead of enormous salaries and bonuses, why not allow team athletes to bet on their games, as long as they bet on their team winning?