GAA doing a deal with SkySports

[BennyHarp]

It is notable how some posters prefer to play the man rather than the ball.

I said that the GAA abroad could pass into the hands of those with no regard for GAA principles. I didn't say that the posters here were such people.

That's because of the tone of your posts and rather bizarre points you make. Can you please elaborate on what kind of people don't have GAA principles? What aims, other than promoting the development of Gaelic games, does a GAA volunteer need to have to meet your criteria for GAA involvement?

It's in case we hand the GAA to the Oul English wans? The Oul bould English. Don't worry armaghinc , me Zulu and benny will meet in some Irish bar in the midlands of England and we will chat about who we can and can't pass the Gaa onto.

I'm up for that, I'll get started on my list then. To be fair, at least there aren't too many posters rushing to defend Armaghniac's point of view - in fact he's a lone voice. He's either a wum or one of those lads every club has, who comes to shout at people at the AGM and is best ignored. I shall be ignoring his views on this issue from now on.

[armaghniac]

Once again playing the man rather than the ball.The integrity of  point of view can be measured by the extent to which people feel they can't argue the point and instead abuse those putting other views instead.
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The GAA was established to build community spirit in Ireland and reduce the forelock tugging subservient mentality so often found. It has succeeded to a large extent in this, although work remains to be done. People imbued with this spirit are bringing the GAA elsewhere, like the posters here. But in these other places it is not a community building organisation,it is a novelty. If the sports become widespread they'll have professionalism and the people will be bribed to leave Irish teams to join these operations, ending the GAA, although perhaps preserving the sports.

You may not agree with my view, but I am entitled to argue them without being characterised as a WUM, tube or similar.n

[Eamonnca1]

It is notable how some posters prefer to play the man rather than the ball.

I said that the GAA abroad could pass into the hands of those with no regard for GAA principles. I didn't say that the posters here were such people.

I'm going to hold this up as yet another example of how some people are completely out of touch with what's going on in the wider GAA beyond Ireland's shores.

The traditional GAA clubs in the USA, founded by Irish emigrants, for years have adopted a business model built on bringing players out from Ireland for the summer. They would put teams on the field that had little or no connection to the places in which they were based, and rumours have been rife for years about under-the-table payments to entice the bigger name players. Hardly sticking to the spirit of the GAA or its ethos, is it?

Meanwhile the "less traditional" GAA clubs like Milwaukee and Indianapolis were started by Americans for Americans. Milwaukee taught themselves how to play hurling and ran their internal league for the best part of ten years before they even affiliated to the GAA. They have no interest in summer players from Ireland, for them it's all about local players representing their local team. Bit closer to the GAA's ethos, wouldn't you say?

Indianapolis run a similar internal league and they've been known to turn down offers from Irish students who want to come out and play for them. For them it's all about players from Indy representing Indy.  This is why there's always more noise from the crowd in the junior competitions at the North American playoffs than in the senior games. A lot of the senior teams full of Irish players are all-star teams that were stitched together a few months before. The junior teams full of Americans have been together for years.

The clubs that stick closest to the GAA's ethos tend to be the ones started by Americans for Americans.

The clubs that fly in the face of the GAA's ethos tend to be started by Irish expats in certain cities.

[Eamonnca1]

But in these other places it is not a community building organisation,it is a novelty.

Jesus wept! You really haven't a clue, have you? Have you ever even traveled outside your county, to say nothing of outside your country?

[armaghniac]

But in these other places it is not a community building organisation,it is a novelty.

Jesus wept! You really haven't a clue, have you? Have you ever even traveled outside your county, to say nothing of outside your country?

So you think I never leave my  thatched cottage, .not like you flashy yanks with your railroads and automobiles. I do leave my county, I've been in Louth, Down and Monaghan and a guy once took me in the pony and trap to Kingscourt.

[Tony Baloney]

But in these other places it is not a community building organisation,it is a novelty.

Jesus wept! You really haven't a clue, have you? Have you ever even traveled outside your county, to say nothing of outside your country?

So you think I never leave my  thatched cottage, .not like you flashy yanks with your railroads and automobiles. I do leave my county, I've been in Louth, Down and Monaghan and a guy once took me in the pony and trap to Kingscourt.

If the Armagh railway gets the go ahead you'll be able to visit Antrim and Derry all in one day. Such times we live in.

[Eamonnca1]

What's that you were saying about playing the man instead of the ball?

[armaghniac]

Sky viewing figures were a tad on the positive side of reality. It seems the real viewing figure for the hurling final was less than 10% of the usual Sky Sports Sunday audience.

http://balls.ie/gaa/258965-the-gaas-sky-deal/

[BennyHarp]

Sky viewing figures were a tad on the positive side of reality. It seems the real viewing figure for the hurling final was less than 10% of the usual Sky Sports Sunday audience.

http://balls.ie/gaa/258965-the-gaas-sky-deal/

I watched it live in a pub outside in Leeds. There was about 400 in the beer garden watching it. I wonder did he count them?

[Zulu]

How many watched the first super bowl or were at the first Munster Heineken cup home game? Claiming that small viewing figures in Britain prove something is patently daft but to be fair to armaghniac that hasn't stopped him. He'll no doubt say that's playing the man not the ball but when you make outlandish claims as he has repeatedly done it's hard not to focus on the guy posting that nonsense.

[armaghniac]

How many watched the first super bowl or were at the first Munster Heineken cup home game? Claiming that small viewing figures in Britain prove something is patently daft but to be fair to armaghniac that hasn't stopped him. He'll no doubt say that's playing the man not the ball but when you make outlandish claims as he has repeatedly done it's hard not to focus on the guy posting that nonsense.

Why this hostility towards me personally? I didn't make any statement as to the significance of this information, I merely stated that the figures had been overstated. Whatever way you look at it, accurate data is surely useful?

[Zulu]

Absolutely and I'd never want the GAA to manipulate the facts but you've repeatedly tried to paint the GAA abroad as something it's not. Did you post this information simply as a point of interest?

[armaghniac]

Absolutely and I'd never want the GAA to manipulate the facts but you've repeatedly tried to paint the GAA abroad as something it's not. Did you post this information simply as a point of interest?

There is something in the media about the GAA, there is a thread here about the deal with Sky, with many things in it, it seems reasonable to post such things on Gaaboard. Do you want me to delete the post?

[roney]

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/ucd-report-puts-a-cloud-over-sky-deal-309350.html

Viewing figures to eat your heart out.

Still, money in the bank. Take that all you people who don't support all seater stadiums in Cork and Belfast.

[Eamonnca1]

Well well well. One year's numbers during a World Cup.

Let's see how we're doing at the tail end of the 3-year deal and how much of an audience has been built up.

BTW I hear that Channel 7 in Australia is dropping the GAA. At the risk of saying "I told you so," it has to be presented by local people for local people and shown at a good viewing time for them in an edited highlights show if the time difference precludes live coverage. If you just take RTE's feed and drop the negativity of Brolly and Spillane onto Australian TV then of course the viewers are going to switch off. The pundits explicitly tell them to switch off.