THERE'S been heated discussion of late as to why so few white people attended the recent funeral of former PLP party leader Lois Browne Evans.

Given the Grand Dame's wicked sense of humour, she's likely been looking down from above laughing her socks off.

After all, there were no doubt a smattering of hypocrites within her own party who needed to be seen paying their last respects, although their admiration of her lifetime struggle within politics was much less visible before she passed away.

What's this got to do with sport?

Oddly enough, there's an analogy that those who use the slightest excuse to play the race card might also want to examine.

Football being the Island's national and most popular sport, as one would expect it's dominated by black players. Indeed, these days the number of white players in the Premier Division can be counted on one hand.

It's the same on the bleachers, white faces stand out like a sore thumb.

That's the domestic game. What a change when it comes to international football!

Why when the national side, or as has been the case this summer, the Island's first pro side, the Bermuda Hogges take centre stage at the National Stadium, do white supporters come out in their droves and the vast majority of those who turn out in winter ¿ wind, rain or shine ¿ to support their club sides stay at home?

We've seen that pattern at almost all of the Hogges' games this season, and it was never more evident than on Tuesday evening this week when the number of white fans in the ground might well have outnumbered blacks by two to one ¿ hardly reflective of the Island's demographics.

Given Bermuda's sporting history, we shouldn't be surprised. Putting club before country has been a common theme among players and supporters both within football and cricket.

Far more fans turn out for the FA Cup and Friendship Cup finals, than they do for an international fixture. And there are a number of cricketers who would die to play Cup Match but wouldn't show anywhere near the same kind of enthusiasm given the opportunity to represent their country.

It's a strange phenomenon, which probably isn't unique to Bermuda.

But one could sympathise if Hogges' owners Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne, two of the best players this country has ever produced, look into the stands on game night and wonder why so few of those who make football Bermuda's dominant sport, choose not to support a professional team ¿ a team who, as they showed against the Western Mass Pioneers on Tuesday, have the ability to provide a brand of football far superior to anything witnessed during the domestic season.

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BERMUDA'S 20-odd athletes will return from the Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro next week without a medal between them. And that shouldn't come as any great surprise. There have been some superb performances and a number of personal bests, even national records, but against the might of the USA, Canada and South America, our best is often not quite good enough.

What has transpired at these Games over the past two weeks, shouldn't deter our athletes; they should be inspired.

But it should strengthen the argument that we need to put much more emphasis on events such as the Small Island Games, held recently in Rhodes, Greece, where even there our squad of 100 and more never threatened the top of the medal table.

There's nothing wrong with aspiring to be the best in the world, but let's learn to walk before attempting to run.

¿ ADRIAN ROBSON