Pan-Am Hope?

Has anyone noticed. The world's second largest sporting event is currently underway but is anybody following it. The media isn't. Canada's daily newspapers are void of any commentary regarding the games, and trying to find coverage of the games on television is akin to finding an ethical banker on wall street. However, maybe Canadian sporting officials want things to stay this way.

For anyone keeping track, Canada entered the games hoping for a third place finish in terms of overall medals. Thus far Canada is in fifth place behind world powers, Mexico and Brazil. And while it is acknowledged that Canada typically does not send its best athletes to these games, don't let anyone tell you that the games are not important. They are. More so for our pentathletes, field hockey and water polo players and for countless others because these games are qualifiers for the Olympic Games.

For a sport system that has seen its men's basketball teams fail to qualify for the 2012 Games, a women's basketball team who has been relegated to a second chance qualifier, a women's soccer team that finished a disappointing 16th at the world championships and then see its coach - Carolyn Morace resign a day later, Canada needs some good news stories in amateur sports. Lets hope our Pan-Am athletes provide some good news