Listing scores in the Goals - Points format

[Eamonnca1]

Was talking to someone about this last week.  At our college hurling tournament where we had a mostly American audience we set up the scoreboard to show total scores rather than separating goals and points.  We did this A because it would save a bit of money in building the scoreboard and B because it's easier for newcomers to the game to understand.  It's more important for us where we have a lot of casual first-time viewers and we want them to understand what's going on.

I mentioned that no American sports do this.  American football scores are given as a total, not touchdowns and field goals.  Basketball scores are given as a total, there's no separation of three-pointers from the other scores.  He reckons the format used in the GAA a hangover from the days when goals outnumbered any number of points and you actually had to know how many goals were scored. 

So isn't it a bit of an anachronism now?  I know the g-p format gives you more information about a game (a goal turns a game around more dramatically than three successive points etc.) but it strikes me as a bit old fashioned.

[Hardy]

I think you're right.

[ONeill]

I asked the young lad today (he's 6 and average intelligence. He can dung out a yard in 13 minutes) what the score in the Longford Wexford game was. By the time he'd worked her out the score had changed. Did I know at 6? Well that was before 2002 so no.

[Eamonnca1]

I think you're right.

I think you're right too.

[Ard-Rí]

Thankfully the main market for our games is not yet American, and seeing as the Irish people have had no problem quoting goals and points, leave well enough alone!

[Don Johnson]

Fermanagh folk must have thought of this before you Eamonn. They had the total up for the match yesterday, though I think it was just a fault.

The newer scoreboard showed the goals, the older one showed the totals.

[Eamonnca1]

Am I mis-remembering or did the old manual scoreboard at the back of the Canal terrace at Croke Park show the totals?

[Eamonnca1]

Thankfully the main market for our games is not yet American

Bit of a strange thing to say. Would it not be better if our games were popular worldwide?

[Ard-Rí]

Thankfully the main market for our games is not yet American

Bit of a strange thing to say. Would it not be better if our games were popular worldwide?

Definitely not. Gaelic Games ... Played, Managed and Supported by Gaels!
That's not to say I'm against foreigners learning the game for whatever reason, just that the main market was from the beginning of the GAA, and should remain, the Irish people.

[emmetryan]

Am I mis-remembering or did the old manual scoreboard at the back of the Canal terrace at Croke Park show the totals?

You remember correctly. They had goals and points at the Hill/Nally end and totals at the Canal end.

[CorkMan]

In Thurles the goals and points are given at one end and the total at the other. I know it would probably cost a bit more to make but could you not make on with goals, points and the total in brackets after.

[saffron sam2]

Was talking to someone about this last week.  At our college hurling tournament where we had a mostly American audience we set up the scoreboard to show total scores rather than separating goals and points.  We did this A because it would save a bit of money in building the scoreboard and B because it's easier for newcomers to the game to understand.  It's more important for us where we have a lot of casual first-time viewers and we want them to understand what's going on.

I mentioned that no American sports do this.  American football scores are given as a total, not touchdowns and field goals.  Basketball scores are given as a total, there's no separation of three-pointers from the other scores.  He reckons the format used in the GAA a hangover from the days when goals outnumbered any number of points and you actually had to know how many goals were scored. 

So isn't it a bit of an anachronism now?  I know the g-p format gives you more information about a game (a goal turns a game around more dramatically than three successive points etc.) but it strikes me as a bit old fashioned.

Anachronistic, yes. Goes back to the time when a goal outweighed any number of points.

[Jinxy]

I bring an abacus with me to games.

[Orangemac]

In Thurles the goals and points are given at one end and the total at the other. I know it would probably cost a bit more to make but could you not make on with goals, points and the total in brackets after.

While we're reprogramming Hawkeye could we get it to work out the scores as well?

[armaghniac]

Sure the Americans like this kind of calculation. Pounds, ounces, feet, inches and all that. They must have great counting abilities, altogether.