Promoting other sports at our expense

[Maguire01]

The GAA as a whole is an organisation that is competing with the likes of soccer and rugby. So whether we like it or not it has become a huge business. I am sitting back and watching over the past number of years the continued dilution of Irish culture and games. Granted the growth of the GAA has been staggering but this is starting to slow and other sports are starting to eclipse the GAA.

So one minute it's being diluted and the next minute it's growth has been staggering? And of course it's growth will slow - it can't grow indefinitely on an island of 5m people.

RTE doing what they done on sunday in no way helps the GAA. This is an organisation that has remained loyal to them. You say it is about viewing figures. I can guarantee there would have been as many people watching the Down/ Tyrone game as there would have been Croatia and Austria. Plus GAA fans will watch the coverage of the games week in week out, whether it be national league games or championship. RTE will see a steady numbers of gaels viewing the games. These soccer games are only on once in a blue moon at the same time as gaelic games yet they will hang the loyal gaels out to dry for a one off game. It stinks lads and only further isolates the Gaelic community aswell as eroding our culture and promoting foreign games.

RTÉ has more stakeholders than the GAA to satisfy. Any how has the GAA remained loyal to RTÉ? The GAA have used RTÉ to promoter their games and RTÉ have benefited.
Also, GAA fans may watch week-in, week-out, but in limited numbers outside of the summer season - hence the league games on TG4 and not RTÉ 1. If soccer was shown, I'm sure it would get equal viewing figures.

Oh and by the way there was only one live game on RTE and that was the hurling between Tiip and Cork. The other games were shown as highlights and on different channels.

Was Dublin v Louth not live on TV3?

I totally agree winsamoon, its not like everyone in Ireland hasn't got BBC and ITV anyway.  Tyrone Down game should have been shown live.

That's not a valid argument for RTÉ.  They have their advertisers to satisfy too - they can't just dismiss lucrative coverage because it's being shown on another channel.

[The Real Laoislad]

At the risk of sounding sexist, wouldnt a naked womens football tournament be great?
It would have to be played somewhere hot during the rainy season though.

His holiness thats a horrible thing to suggest and you a expectant father!
The idea of women running around naked playing football in the rain is just ludicrous and downright dirty shame on you
I think if that were to happen i would have to go to every single game to protest and i would also have to record every second of every game paying particular attention to the goal celebrations when 11 naked woman would undoubtedly all jump on top of each other on my camcorder so i could use it in my protest campaign

[Main Street]

Instead of just criticising other posts hound why don't you give a reason behind what you are saying. I think this is more constructive than sniping at others.

The GAA as a whole is an organisation that is competing with the likes of soccer and rugby. So whether we like it or not it has become a huge business. I am sitting back and watching over the past number of years the continued dilution of Irish culture and games. Granted the growth of the GAA has been staggering but this is starting to slow and other sports are starting to eclipse the GAA.

RTE doing what they done on sunday in no way helps the GAA. This is an organisation that has remained loyal to them. You say it is about viewing figures. I can guarantee there would have been as many people watching the Down/ Tyrone game as there would have been Croatia and Austria. Plus GAA fans will watch the coverage of the games week in week out, whether it be national league games or championship. RTE will see a steady numbers of gaels viewing the games. These soccer games are only on once in a blue moon at the same time as gaelic games yet they will hang the loyal gaels out to dry for a one off game. It stinks lads and only further isolates the Gaelic community aswell as eroding our culture and promoting foreign games.

Its not once in a blue moon.
The major soccer competitions are on in the  Championship season every 2 years, thats a predicted clash over 4 or 5 weekends in the middle part of the championship season.
Weekends are big for the Soccer Finals, In the World Cup there are 3 games each Saturday and Sunday.
This has been happening for decades.
Our games will survive.

There are more opportunities now to get the GAA championship games televised than ever before.

[winsamsoon]

So one minute it's being diluted and the next minute it's growth has been staggering? And of course it's growth will slow - it can't grow indefinitely on an island of 5m people.


For starters if you read it correctly i used the word has, which indicates the past. The dillution of culture has led to the decrease in popularity of gaelic games. I have witnessed this first hand in my own town. I have went into a many a bar on St Patrick's day and had to ask bar staff to turn on a small screen in the corner so i could see the ALL Ireland club final and Mc Crory cup. RTE is adding to this growing dillution by not broadcasting one of our national sports.

Once again no one is saying soccer should not be shown. I am only using the soccer as an example simply because it fell on the same day as the games in question. Therefore it is highly relevant to my point. Some of you guys seem to be posting up that the Dublin game was on TV3, i am also well aware of this but the argument is about RTE, not TV3.

RTE in my opinion should be promoting gaelic games as they claim to be the national channel. Gaelic games are nationalistic. If RTE had never shown coverage of the GAA games on sunday there would have been no issue at all. But the fact remains that RTE did show these games on a regular basis and would have showed them again on sunday . They would also have expected the gaels to watch it and of course they would have and should have been able to. The fact remains that a soccer game between Croatia and Austria was shown instead of the gaelic. Instead of them showing the normal gaelic on the other channel they just refused to show any of it (except the hurling) and the rest was shown as highlights.

[Zulu]

The fact remains that a soccer game between Croatia and Austria was shown instead of the gaelic. Instead of them showing the normal gaelic on the other channel they just refused to show any of it (except the hurling) and the rest was shown as highlights.

I think you're being a bit harsh winsamsoon, I wouldn't be impressed if there were 3 soccer or rugby games shown on a Sunday afternoon (2 of them simultaneously) as I'm not much of a fan of either sport. RTE must also cater for the non-GAA market and the Euro 2008 championship is a sporting occasion of widespread general interest. And if it was RTE's job to promote 'Irish culture' then you should surely be demanding more programmes related to Irish music, dance, literature etc. and again I and many others would not be too happy if our viewing choices were dominated by documentaries about Patrick Kavanagh and re-run's of riverdance.

[Main Street]

There are a few other points
Understand that RTE has the contract for the Euros and is obliged to show all the games as per contract.
It is a big contract and good for RTE.
RTE has  2 channels and some people don't watch sport

It was the GAA who chose to give out some games to competing broadcasters

Attendance - after participation this is the second biggest indicator of GAA health, Attendance figures were very good this weekend.

[dublinfella]

This thread is hilarious.

Less than 6 months after the GAA give games to two of their rivals, someone is on expecting RTE to drop the second biggest soccer tournament in the world which will have huge Irish interest for an unspecified game that was already sold to another channel.

You really couldn't make it up! 

[his holiness nb]

someone is on expecting RTE to drop the second biggest soccer tournament in the world which will have huge Irish interest for an unspecified game that was already sold to another channel.

You really couldn't make it up! 

Eh, I dont see many people calling for it to be dropped. Most people are either agreeing that the euros should be shown or else suggesting they should have showed both.

[winsamsoon]

I think his holiness has summed it up there because i really couldn't be bothered repeating myself again. Oh and Dublin fella, in respect of the comments of his holliness i think now the joke is on you