What was that called again? Right. Pluto.

And it's not even officially a planet any more.

Maybe it's just me, but my excitement levels for what is going on in Glasgow right now is somewhere between tepid and lukewarm.

Don't get me wrong, some of the action we've seen has been sensational.

Flag bearer and cycling champion Anna Meares got Australia's campaign off to the perfect start with her third consecutive gold medal in the time trial, while our swimmers smashed a world record in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay.

All indications are that Australia will leave Scotland on top of the medal tally, yet again.

Our country's collective spirit will be in a buoyant mood and the disappointment from a below-par return from the London Olympic Games two years ago will be forgotten.

However, is the Commonwealth Games still relevant?

For up and coming athletes, I would say absolutely.

It's a chance to dip their toes in the water before leaping into the deep end that is a world championships or Olympic Games.

But for those veterans who have been there and done it all, what is there to gain from beating less than half the countries in the world?

Marathon great Rob de Castella is an ardent supporter of the Commonwealth Games.

It was in 1982 in Brisbane where the Canberra long-distance runner made his mark with a gold-medal winning performance.

He backed up that effort four years later with another victory in Edinburgh.

''I think it's still really important for Australia from a historical perspective and it's just a great opportunity for a lot of our up and coming athletes to really get incredible experience,'' de Castella said.

''A medal at the Commonwealth Games is something every athlete aspires to win.

"I was over the moon and especially being a Games in Australia, it brought me to the attention of a lot of the public.''

One of the problems confronting this year's event is the scheduling.

Sports fans are simply worn out after burning the midnight oil to watch the soccer World Cup in Brazil, Nick Kyrgios' exploits at Wimbledon and the Tour de France in the past six weeks.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi was held from October 3 to October 14 after the end of the football seasons, while the 2018 event on the Gold Coast will be staged in April when there is also a bit of free space.

"It's just the way it is these days, there's just so much on – it's a crowded international sporting program,'' de Castella said.

''As the medals and the performances start to come through, the Games will start to hit the front pages and obviously the back pages.

''There's a lot on and people go from one day to the next these days, so there probably hasn't been a lot of exposure and publicity leading up to the Games.

''But I think now they're kicked off, especially with the performances of the swimmers and the cyclists, I think everyone will switch on.''

Well, maybe not everyone.

Earlier this week, US comedy show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver featured the Commonwealth Games during its ''How is this still a thing?'' segment.

It starts with a reference to a question from American game show Jeopardy worth $2000 for the correct answer.

"A new 50-pence piece marks the 20th celebrations of these multi-country games, to be held in the UK in 2014.''

All three contestants responded with a blank stare.

The narrator then goes on to describe to an American audience a brief history of why it is restricted to members of the Commonwealth, some of the ''world's top sports, including squash, lawn bowls, competitive mountain biking and netball, which is basically what basketball would be if you didn't have the rights to play basketball'', and a take on this year's Commonwealth Games mascot, Clyde.

"Here's a question? What the f--k are the Commonwealth Games, other than the winner of the creepiest mascot on Earth competition,'' the narrator said.

''Well, imagine the Olympics without the United States, China, and Russia, then imagine a track meet dominated by sprinters from Wales, and you have the Commonwealth Games.''

It has to be remembered Americans love to call themselves the world champions at anything even if they're the only country taking part.

The fact they haven't heard of something, and then deride it for being beneath them, isn't a huge shock.

I'm sure at some point I'll get pumped about what's happening in Glasgow.

Mel Breen in the women's 100m, James Magnussen in the men's 100m freestyle and our netballers taking on the Silver Ferns are three must-watch events.

Then there's the lower profile athletes – Duke Didier in the judo and Kelsey Cottrell in lawn bowls.

For them, this is the centre of their sporting universe.