Manny Pacquiao: Pac-Man's Success Hurting Philippines' Amateur Ranks

Manny Pacquiao may be inspiring a nation with his unbelievable success story, but he's also crushing that nation's hopes when it comes to boxing in the Olympics. 

Pac-Man, whose slums-to-eight-world-titles story has made him easily the most popular figure in his home country of the Philippines, has kids and adults alike who want to be just like him.

But with London 2012 coming up shortly, this presents a problem (via chicagotribune):

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Manny Pinol, a former governor of North Cotabato and current manager of boxers through his Braveheart Boxing stable, says the success of the eight-weight world champion is hindering the amateur Olympic program at home.

Despite boasting a population of over 100 million and a love of boxing, the Philippines will send just one fighter to the London Olympics later this year - the same number as the tiny Seychelles - leaving little hope of adding to the three bronze and two silvers won by their boxers in previous Games.

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You read that correctly. The Philippines, a country that has the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and a slew of other highly successful pro fighters, is sending the same amount of boxers to the Olympics as Seychelles. 

Seychelles' population, according to Google, is 86,525. The Phillipines', on the other hand, is over 93 million.  

What's happening, of course, is actually ironic and quite frankly, a little sad. Pacquiao's success has put the Philippines "on the map" in terms of a boxing nation, but that same success is also killing the amateur ranks.

Young kids want to be just like Pac-Man, and Pac-Man is a pro, not an amateur (boxing in the Olympics is strictly for amateur-status fighters). 

So why would these kids, who have dreams of being the next Pacquiao, train to be in the Olympics? That won't make you a ton of money. That won't make you a world icon. That won't give you Pac-Man-like attention. 

It's amazing that those last two things are even possible. It used to be that winning a gold medal for your country was one of the best things you could ever do, but the Olympics, at least for Filipino boxers, simply doesn't mean as much anymore. 

The real lure is to follow not to give your country pride in the Olympics, it's to follow in Manny's footsteps.

And Manny never competed in the Olympics.