Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour on Thursday encouraged patience with the football program as it emerges from NCAA sanctions, saying she believes coach James Franklin is the long-term answer and that the program continues to reflect the positive values Joe Paterno instilled.Barbour told ESPN that there are factual realities about Penn State in the post-sanctions era make the on-field recovery slower than some expect. She also noted the initial predictions about the penalties Penn State incurred in 2012, which some described as worse than the so-called death penalty.Penn State hasnt had a losing season since the NCAA imposed sanctions, including major scholarship losses, but the Nittany Lions also havent challenged for the Big Ten title since their postseason ban was lifted.Franklin, in his third season at Penn State, is 17-14 and 7-11 in Big Ten play. He signed a six-year contract with Penn State in January 2014.I get theres a frustration with where we are, Barbour said. Id be worried if there wasnt. I want Penn State football to stand for excellence. Always has and always will. To some degree, I want our fans to be impatient, but I also want them to understand factual challenges.Barbour noted the slower recoveries of other programs facing scholarship losses -- Miami, Alabama, USC -- and noted that 77 of Penn States players have freshman or sophomore eligibility. Penn State returned to its full complement of scholarships this season. Strengthening her endorsement of Franklin last week to The Altoona (Pennsylvania) Mirror, Barbour told ESPN, Theres no doubt in my mind that James is going to be our football coach long term.We were so fortunate to have coach Paterno for so long, Barbour added. He helped shape Penn States values for so long. He was a huge part of it. James Franklin is embodying the same values: the academic piece, the social and cultural parts, the community service. The piece thats a little slow to come is the competitive piece.If we were having issues academically or graduation rate-wise or APR or having a lot of student-athletes getting in trouble in community, Id have the same criticisms and I wouldnt be able to defend it because we control those things.Barbour referenced Paternos grand experiment and program motto -- success with honor -- as things that live on today at Penn State. The school has received criticism for publicly acknowledging Paterno, its coach from 1966 until his firing in November 2011 amid the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.Penn State on Sept. 17 recognized the 50th anniversary of Paternos first game as coach and honored players from his 1966 team.What Im not challenged by is some of the really, really positive influences of Paterno, the things that hes a huge part of shaping over time Penn States values: a focus on academics, a focus on service, Barbour said. The challenge, given what Penn State has been through, is that at the same time, the Sandusky scandal and the tragedies of the young people who were victims, none of us go disconnected from that.Talking about some of the incredible things coach Paterno did and his legacy here is not mutually exclusive to being concerned about the health and welfare of the children, or being concerned about Jerry Sanduskys victims.Barbour has received mixed responses from Penn State fans since her initial endorsement of Franklin, which she expected.They need to take it as a body of work, she said. Are we showing progress? Where are we at the end of the season in terms of our development in a new offensive scheme? Where are we in the development of a really young defense? Where are we with the development of our student-athletes, the identity of the program.Those are the things our fans need to be looking at. Air Max 270 React Rose Pas Cher . 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"I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Air Max 270 React Grise . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed.It was billed as "The Rematch". True vitriol is a rarity in womens soccer. The hard feelings between Canada and the United States are about as heated as it gets. Canada hosting their rivals was an opportunity for some closure after the injustice of the controversial loss to the Americans in the semi-final match at the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games. This time out, the Canadian Womens National Soccer team hardly lived up to their lofty billing, coming out flat and unable to keep the ball in a 3-0 loss to the US. Canada was taught a lesson in build-up play and ball possession. There is work to be done ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2015. The result in a stand-alone friendly hardly matters. Sure, a win would have played well with the patriotic home crowd. But bigger picture, the importance the match was treated with and corresponding electric vibe made clear Canada against the United States in womens soccer is a marquee event. The most prestigious of all Canada versus US in womens competition used to come on the ice. With a lack of genuine other competition in womens hockey, Canada/US is basically all there is. The budding soccer rivalry between cross border nations is now the most compelling in Canadian womens team competition, and worthy of the special feel the spectacle had on the Lakeshore in Toronto. The true sporting rivalry got spicier when Canadian-born American player, Sydney Leroux scored in stoppage time and promptly mocked the crowd and paid homage to the American badge on her jersey. An act as such is an absolute no-no in soccer. You dont pay homage to the badge against your former team, let alone the country of your birth. The Leroux storyline line will further galvanize support of our women and what it means to be a Canadian National team player. It was an incredible scene at BMO Field, otherwise known as our National Soccer Stadium. Kids, families, Canadian soccer supporters and the curious lot captivated by Canadas run in London formed a sea of red and white, engaged from start to finish in 90 plus minutes of football. The match was played in front of 22,453, the most ever to take in a game at BMO Field. And despite a disappointing 3-0 loss, the team did a lap of honour as adoring Canadian fans showed their affection for their soccer heroes. Its a true injustice Toronto is not a host city for the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup. How the City of Toronto can let arguably the worlds biggest event for womens team sport not come to Canadas biggest and most prominent city is beyond me. Spending taxpayers dollars on the largely irrelevant Pan Am Games instead of the moneymaker of hosting World Cup matches will never make sense. That story has been told, and still upsets me to this day. And on a wonderful afternoon as Sunday, it digs a little deeper. The brimming cultural attachment to Canadas finest womens players makes Torontos decision to not host that much more exasperating. Womens soccer holds a special place among Canadians. It came to the forefront in the build up to the 2003 FIFA Womens World Cup, culminating in an unexpected 4th place finish. It was an unlikely run by a group who were either at the end or the beginning of their international career. With growing television and media exposure, the Canadian women captured the hearts of soccer families coast-to-coast, giving young girls playing the game something bigger to aspire to. Since that time, Canadian womens soccer has matured and mattered. But its never mattered as much as now. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games was a defining moment. Through adversity came a new developed culture; a culture where results matter. Strangely enough, the womens game in this country is where the mens game wants to be: culturally relevant and taken seriously. Its both quite spectacular and equally sad the womens national team has become more popular than the Canadian mens team. No other womens team sport I can think of is more popular than their male counterparts in any other country. Mens natiional teams, not womens, define footballing nations.dddddddddddd Thats not the case in Canada. Christine Sinclair is the most recognizable player, man or woman. While the womens team is praised and revered, the mens team is mocked. Its a remarkable achievement by our womens players and also an indictment on our mens program. Success has something to do with it. But its inaccurate to say thats the only reason. No offence, but Cyprus Cup and Olympic qualifying victories are resume builders, not widely celebrated accomplishments. Some may not acknowledge as much, but preferential treatment towards the womens game started years ago at the club level. Its much more difficult to produce top-level Canadian mens players than womens. The global mens game is incredibly competitive at all levels and Canada continues to play catch-up. Creating a clear path for mens players to become true professionals is a difficult one to make. The emerging professional club structure in Canada is hoping to bridge the gap. But theres a ways to go. The womens game is still growing and Canada has been progressive in providing opportunity. The goal for most soccer clubs has been traditionally to put their players in a position to get scholarships to American universities. Its proven to be much easier to promise your young girl a legit shot at a scholarship than to assure your young boy the same. Sheer numbers dictate that. It became lucrative for clubs across the country to back the emerging womens game where Canada could be leaders, rather than minnows. Well-regarded club coaches switched from coaching boys to girls. Not only could coaches avoid the never-ending politics of boys soccer, but also it sure looks good on a resume helping so many young girls get free education at American schools. College coaches and scouts were regularly brought across the border to scout Canadian girls players and clubs did a good business. Many boys players were forced to fend for themselves, leaving their local clubs where the womens game was priority in search of another. Scholarships were still the goal, unless your boy was fortunate enough to have a proper visa to allow the player to pursue a spot at a European based soccer academy where professional ambition could be met. The scholarship route is still the preferred road to International success in the womens game. Conversely, very few Canadian players coming out of the University system are deemed good enough for the Mens National team. But because girls soccer remains profitable at a micro level, clubs continue to feed the system and the womens game continues to benefit. The fact remains from a National team perspective, the potential monies to be made in the mens game trumps the women by a significant margin. The mens team qualifying for a World Cup would make the Canadian Soccer Association more money than ever can be made in the womens game. The purpose of this commentary isnt meant to create a mens versus womens game argument. Both programs can thrive. And truthfully, Canadas womens team finding success benefits the men, and vice-versa. Its more a testament to how the positive narrative surrounding Canadas womens program has come through grassroots development. The program hasnt been built through some elaborate marketing campaign, selling the team and players as something they are not. The players are likeable and the team is relatable. They are fun to cheer for, and likewise enjoyable seeing the passion the players have for the game. They are real. Its not contrived. They wear the Maple Leaf with pride. They play for each other and country. They represent what sport at its finest and purest level is all about. The build towards 2015 is going to be a whole lot of fun. If Sunday is any indication, the team is nowhere near ready. But judging by the crowd and atmosphere, Canadian soccer fans certainly are. You can reach Gareth at gareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca or follow him on Twitter, @WheelerTSN ' ' '