UTV & BBC & RTE & TV3

[glens73]

Much and all as I agree that the unionist establishment like to stick the knife into the GAA wherever possible, what McGinn did was deplorable. If a premiership manager headbutted someone it would be all over the main news.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Yes but the premiership match would have on the news anyway. They also would have showed what happened during the match. I thought bbc were out of line tonight. They were making out that this is happening all the time - "yet another big game hit by violence" was said 2 or 3 times. My big problem tonight was that they had footage of the game and showed McGinns headbutt twice but did not show 1 single score from a game watched by over 5000 people. They then went on to show goals from an Irish league game that was covered on Saturday evening and was watched by a few hundred. They were only interested on the negatives from the Tyrone County final. They didnt even have the interest to show a few clips from the game.

[glens73]

Yes but the premiership match would have on the news anyway. They also would have showed what happened during the match. I thought bbc were out of line tonight. They were making out that this is happening all the time - "yet another big game hit by violence" was said 2 or 3 times. My big problem tonight was that they had footage of the game and showed McGinns headbutt twice but did not show 1 single score from a game watched by over 5000 people. They then went on to show goals from an Irish league game that was covered on Saturday evening and was watched by a few hundred. They were only interested on the negatives from the Tyrone County final. They didnt even have the interest to show a few clips from the game.

Yes I understand that, it is beyond doubt that so called "reporters" like watson are quick to sink the boot in to the GAA. However, McGinn is to blame for bringing the GAA in to disrepute if he hadn't have used his nut the schmezzole would barely have been mentioned.

[orangeman]

No criticism of anyone on this thread is allowed apart from UTV and BBC. 

[Tyrone Dreamer]

I have no problem with the bbc covering the McGinn incident and he was out of line. My problem is how the bbc can justify showing the headbutt twice and ignoring the match totally which was watched by over 5,000 people. It showed a real lack of balance and interest in the sport. I also wish they had have dealt with the incident for what it was instead of going on about it being yet another bad day for the gaa as if this is happening all the time. I can only imagine the coverage a riot in the crowd at a gaa game would get.

[under the bar]

Strangely neither BBC nor UTV dwelt quite so much on Neil Best trying to gouge another players eye out.

[Hardy]

Spot on, under the bar. That's the bit that gets me. But it's not confined to the British channels. RTÉ are just as bad. The level of casual thuggery in rugby matches far outweighs anything you'd see in GAA. Eye gouging is commonplace. Stamping is almost expected. Fistfights are laughingly dismissed as "handbags" and "sorting out a little disagreement". And I have no idea how they get those injuries that make their ears look like a more southerly part of the anatomy (and I don't think I want to know). But I've yet to see incidents like these even feature in the post-match analysis on any TV channel, let alone make the six o'clock news.

I suppose I could make a benign interpretation of this and assume that the reason a violent incident in GAA is plastered all over the TV and papers is because it's such a rarity, whereas thuggery in rugby is expected and therefore is not news. But I don't think that's what's going on. I'm not sure what is, though.

I'm all for exposing thuggery in sport, but let it be all sports. Nobody ever bothers to ask the media why they are exhibiting these double standards.

[The GAA]

I'm all for exposing thuggery in sport, but let it be all sports.

phew - first time i read that i didn't see the word "exposing"

[scalder]

Thuggery is seen as acceptable in Rugby, maybe in the same way as it is in boxing but I think its also got to do with the perception that its only a 'bit of rough and tumble among chaps' while in GAA its mob violence!
Double standards exist, another example is that rugby jerseys are usually acceptable in bars etc while GAA jerseys are excluded

[tc_manchester]

Here's a link to some Irish League attendances - looking at it the average attendance seems to be about 700

http://foot.ie/forums/showthread.php?s=e77fcd1b14bb753bd02133c8d2725fe6&t=104320

[AFS]

Here's a link to some Irish League attendances - looking at it the average attendance seems to be about 700

http://foot.ie/forums/showthread.php?s=e77fcd1b14bb753bd02133c8d2725fe6&t=104320

Take Linfield out and that drops to about 400. But even if you work on the premise that the average is 700, with 6 games per weekend, the average weekly attendance for the entire Irish League still comes in at just over 4000. How the BBC can justify their coverage of these games over GAA games, with in some cases 10 times larger attendances, is beyond me.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

GAA was the main headline on the sport again tonight on bbc - was also mentioned again on the news headlines. Thats twice in one week - could be a new record. Who says the bbc dont cover the gaa.

Despite hardly showing a score in a club game all year they have now repeated the headbutt at least 5 times on the news. Its also interesting to note that with over 5,000 at the county final on Sunday it would be bigger than the avergae attendance for a full set of Irish League mathces based on the link above.

[Yes I Would]

See the smirk on Watsons face. He didnt want to end the report on it.

[ONeill]

Say all you want about the BBC and UTV - the Irish News ran with it on the back page on Monday, before the scoreline was  mentioned....."DISGRACEFUL scenes at the end of normal time marred Clonoe O'Rahilly's moment of glory yesterday afternoon following their magnificent one-point extra-time win over St Dympna's, Dromore in the Tyrone senior county final."

[Tyrone Dreamer]

At least the Irish News would have covered the game anyway. They also gave a report of the game unlike BBC who didnt even show 1 score even though it was the headline on the sport news.