AAU basketball is considered by many to be one of the last pure things left in terms of corruption in sports. That’s not to say that a cockeyed conspiracy theorist couldn’t uncover a few doping rumors here or there, or maybe a little unsavory conduct in the scouting department.

But anything even Joseph McCarthy could find would only reflect on the individual and not the organization.

The Amateur Athletic Union, being a not-for-profit, volunteer-based sports organization, wouldn’t bring about any scrutiny if it did smell like stale fish. Not saying it does. In fact, this multi-sport organization is surprisingly clean – and “surprisingly” takes on a whole new meaning when speaking of the AAU basketball program.

Its budding popularity in the mainstream does cause a little cringe among enthusiasts whose hopes and dreams for these young men doesn’t involve allowing them to become commodities.

The AAU has been partnered up with Disney and ESPN since the 1990s, but it’s the explosion of digital cable in recent years that’s bringing the AAU to people’s living rooms.

Just like poker was always poker, it wasn’t really “poker” until ESPN brought the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to their main channel and glorified it. Now there’s billions of dollars exchanging hands, not even counting what’s won and lost on the tables.

Even a lot of gamblers thought, why play online roulette when I can bet on Hold’em?

The point: having the AAU become a cash cow for sports books is the last road this organization needs to go down.

There’s no real threat of that happening yet. But something in us all can smell the disaster looming each time the basketball gains a little more coverage.

It’s a double-edged sword. It’s fantastic for the organization, for the players involved and for the all-around good it’s doing for communities. Then, however, enters the money – people looking to capitalize on these young men and sullying the sport with greed.

Once the sharks smell blood in the water, every sports book and casino on line will have an AAU betting option. And being such a large league with many small local spots, referee influence and point-shaving players could easily creep into the mix.

At some point, a question needs to be posed. Do you protect something like this league, or do you simply hope for the best and let evolution take its course?

AAU gambling-specific sites located on the same page as blackjack sites would be a sad sight indeed. But another bump or two in popularity is a good thing for everybody.