Rugby now more popular than football AND GAA?!

[Stuttgart88]

Ewan McKenna tweeted a video by Jamie Heaslip of some of the Irish team on an Aer Lingus flight. Them rugby boys are great craic. Reminds me why I thought the UCD rugby crew were a bunch of tools when all together, fine as individuals.

[paul_oshea]

Ya and the way they keep calling the air hostesses name. Any rugby club I've seen when they get a group of lads together act like to this. They think they're great craic altogether.

[Charlie Darwin]

Larry Ryan on the bursting of the rugby bubble: http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/larry-ryan/rugby-boom-facing-a-crash-383097.html

[gastric]

Larry Ryan on the bursting of the rugby bubble: http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/larry-ryan/rugby-boom-facing-a-crash-383097.html

He comes across as being as stupid and biased as Neil Francis. Strong possibility that the provinces will give a 49% share to businesses or individuals like in New Zealand which would certainly reinvigorate them. On the attrition rate in rugby, it really is a concern, but not terminal for the game.

[tetsujin1979]

if you really want to see a stupid and biased article, read Joe Brolly's latest stream of consciousness defence of the GAA against all evils

[Charlie Darwin]

He comes across as being as stupid and biased as Neil Francis. Strong possibility that the provinces will give a 49% share to businesses or individuals like in New Zealand which would certainly reinvigorate them. On the attrition rate in rugby, it really is a concern, but not terminal for the game.
I'd say there's a roughly 0% chance of that. You're right that they're not going to wither away though.

[geysir]

The IRFU are certainly not living in a financial bubble. In 2014 they realised a surplus of €9m from income of €74m.

Still doesn't change that rugby is an ugly game (i.e. outside Connacht).

[gastric]

if you really want to see a stupid and biased article, read Joe Brolly's latest stream of consciousness defence of the GAA against all evils

He is the GAA version of Dunphy and Hook. More interested in promoting himself than actually writing anything of substance. He is an intelligent man and I feel the other two mentioned are similar. However, Neil Francis thinks he is intelligent and a serious journalist! :p

[tetsujin1979]

He is the GAA version of Dunphy and Hook. More interested in promoting himself than actually writing anything of substance. He is an intelligent man and I feel the other two mentioned are similar. However, Neil Francis thinks he is intelligent and a serious journalist! :p

That's got to be the first time someone has said both Dunphy and Hook are intelligent in the same post! FWIW Brolly is clearly an intelligent man, he's a qualified solicitor, but he's so one eyed when it comes to the GAA that I really can't take anything he writes seriously.

[geysir]

I don't find much wrong with Joe's article. (http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/joe-brolly-forget-foreign-sports-such-as-rugby-and-soccer-the-real-threat-is-within-the-gaa-34471257.html) It's well known that Kilkenny was a cricket county and then became a hurling county, similar to Tipp. The importance of GAA's role and the national movement for independence is documented historical fact.
And Joe claims the GAA has nothing to fear from the so called competing sports, in the context of another topical motion being put before congress to do with liberalising the usage of facilities. Club fixtures in the GAA are a constant bugbear for players in most every county.
Sometimes Joe borders on hysteria, other times he writes some very good stuff.

[eitoof]

Strip away all the nationalistic ****e in Brolly's article and the basic point he's trying to make is spot on. The biggest single problem facing the GAA is providing its ordinary players with a regular structured fixture list.

I've been involved with both gaelic and association football as a player, coach, and administrator for over 30 years now and the difference in the amounts of games provided is staggering.

[geysir]

Fwiw, Joe is spot in regards to his historical reference, also spot on in regards to what GAA clubs in the 6 counties had to endure in the troubles, which was germane to the point he was making re the importance of the club. It would be difficult to find nordies who have absolutely no time for Joe's punditry, that would disagree with what he wrote.

[gastric]

That's got to be the first time someone has said both Dunphy and Hook are intelligent in the same post! FWIW Brolly is clearly an intelligent man, he's a qualified solicitor, but he's so one eyed when it comes to the GAA that I really can't take anything he writes seriously.

They are intelligent in that they have all become media personalities by creating controversy and generating more column inches for their respective sports than most. They know what their role is and the media love them for it. I don't believe for one minute they believe everything they write or suggest. Brolly's headlines in his newspaper columns are absolutely brilliant, enough to intrigue non GAA fans to at least peruse his articles.

[geysir]

I wouldn't dream of placing Hook or Dunphy on some intelligent pedestal along with Joe.
He might share some traits with them, like his flashes of bottom feeding attention seeking personality syndrome, along with some examples of astounding shape shifting gutter level punditry. Joe's a multifaceted, astutely intelligent man, who could argue and get a rise out of saint Monica, his calling is to be argumentative and he loves it.
The trick is knowing what not to take serious and the difference between when he's serious, flippant, controversial, ADHD, snidely hyper argumentative, corny folksy style, et.c. Then there's the people's historian side and his knowledge and memory of stuff, he's a walking volume of encyclopedias.
I have to say, any other regular human being would not be able to contain inside them all that Joe Brolly is, without all their screws bursting loose and ending up in a padded cell. But Joe somehow functions in the way that fictional Serge A Storm character functions in those Tim Dorsey novels.

[Stuttgart88]

I don't know much about Hook but Dunphy is, if nothing else, highly intelligent surely? An inner city, poorly educated street kid who wrote a ground breaking book, a classic, on the life of a professional footballer long before the genre even existed. Right up there with Fever Pitch as one of the greatest football books ever in my opinion.

[Charlie Darwin]

The greatest I've read, anyway.

[gastric]

I suppose it's all down to how you define intelligence - Brolly- intellectual, Dunphy - linguistic.

[Stuttgart88]

Educated versus functionally intelligent?

[Stuttgart88]

Interesting article:

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/ladies-football/no-mens-team-would-put-up-with-our-conditionstheyd-go-nuts-mayos-sarah-rowe-taking-a-stand-against-inequality-34471173.html

[DeLorean]

She was just 14, but already training with the Mayo senior team. She observed them, listened to them, looked up to them - and of course, had a bit of crack.

Awful carry on for a 14 year old :)

I've noticed the Lidl push actually, they seem to have gone all in which is great. The billboards have caught my eye and the ad on TV is excellent. The idea of playing their final before the men's is a very good one, but it would take a lot to get the GAA to break with the tradition of playing the minor final in that slot. You could have a treble header but the crowd would probably be tiny for the first of the three anyway so it would defeat the purpose.

[Stuttgart88]

Interesting from Jim O'Callaghan

http://villagemagazine.ie/index.php/2015/08/rugby-surrendered-its-social-benefit/

[Paddy Garcia]

I don't know much about Hook but Dunphy is, if nothing else, highly intelligent surely? An inner city, poorly educated street kid who wrote a ground breaking book, a classic, on the life of a professional footballer long before the genre even existed. Right up there with Fever Pitch as one of the greatest football books ever in my opinion.

What makes you say poorly educated?

[Stuttgart88]

Because he went to the same school as Bertie!

Actually, because he left school early to play football in England. He may very well have been well educated up to that point. I think the point I was making is that for a guy who I assume hasn't got Leaving Cert English, he writes well and is articulate so is clearly clever. You're quoting me from February so am not 100% sure of the context. Is it important?

[Paddy Garcia]

Only in so far as the general theme of reverse snobbery on the site is a bit tiresome.

[Charlie Darwin]

I can't locate the book right this second but Dunphy did say he didn't get a very good education from the Christian Brothers (I think) and his learning to be a writer was more down to his own curiosity.

[Stuttgart88]

Only in so far as the general theme of reverse snobbery on the site is a bit tiresome.

Do you find the actual snobbery in rugby quarters just as tiresome?

Maybe my experience is different to yours but what I find tiresome is the rugby being holier than thou, morally superior voice of the nation claptrap that has dominated the media and that has been the perceived view of lot of the Irish people I know. I have been sceptical, thinking that success is the key to superficial popularity and that rugby was benefiting from its earlier stage in the product life cycle. Both rugby and GAA are starting to see the perils of increased commerciality, but football got there before them. I feel that I might just be starting to be proven right and when rugby folk start backing up my views I'm happy to publicise them here.

I have no real axe to grind, I've enjoyed rugby all my life, and there is absolutely no question of reverse snobbery. I like to challenge conventional wisdom and I've long felt that in Ireland the "rugby good, footy bad" narrative has been vastly overplayed.

What I find refreshing now is rugby folk starting to question their own game rather than slagging off mine. Paul Ackford in the Times recently came down in my side of this discussion, saying he is sick to the hind teeth of hearing rugby people talking up the moral benefits of their sport.

I'll answer any objective criticism of my views on this topic but I won't for a second accept that I'm a reverse snob. As far as I'm concerned there's good and bad in all sports and comparing the best bits of one to the worst in another is a daft exercise.

[DannyInvincible]

Some viewing figures from RTÉ (excluding ITV) last night: http://presspack.rte.ie/2016/06/23/1-2-million-viewers-tune-in-to-republic-of-irelands-historic-victory-over-italy/


An average* of 1.23m viewers watched last night’s Group E crunch clash between the Republic of Ireland and Italy on RTÉ2 as Robbie Brady’s headed effort ensured qualification to the Round of 16 and a glamour tie against hosts France in Lyon on Sunday.

73.6%** of those watching television at the time were tuned into the game. The audience peaked*** at 1.45m viewers in the last minute of the game while the post-match analysis peaked even higher at 1.47m viewers (21.56) as Darragh Maloney asked John Giles, Eamon Dunphy and Liam Brady to reflect on a famous victory.

Additionally there were 101,500 live streams for the Republic of Ireland v Italy game on RTÉ Player, which includes 7,450 streams of the Irish Language commentary version. This makes Ireland v Italy the third biggest live game of UEFA EURO 2016 on RTÉ Player after Ireland v Sweden and England v Wales.

[BonnieShels]

Some viewing figures from RTÉ (excluding ITV) last night: http://presspack.rte.ie/2016/06/23/1-2-million-viewers-tune-in-to-republic-of-irelands-historic-victory-over-italy/

I read that earlier and I can't believe England and Wales got more viewers!!!

[davidatrb]

I read that earlier and I can't believe England and Wales got more viewers!!!

England Wales played in the early afternoon on a weekday. During the day I'm more likely (and others it seems) to watch the match on a stream. At 8pm when I am safely home I will enjoy it more watching on TV. I'm not surprised more people stream the early afternoon matches.

[BonnieShels]

England Wales played in the early afternoon on a weekday. During the day I'm more likely (and others it seems) to watch the match on a stream. At 8pm when I am safely home I will enjoy it more watching on TV. I'm not surprised more people stream the early afternoon matches.

I completely misread it as TV viewing rankings were IRL-SWE>ENG-WAL>IRL-ITA

My bad. And you're correct as well David. That's what I do in the office and on the bus home. Or should I say did.

[BonnieShels]

The Leinster Council aren't known for common sense but my god this is a great move.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/euro-2016/2016/0623/797720-soccer-croker/

[Stuttgart88]

Great stuff. Common sense.

[Razors left peg]

Im a big sports fan in general and the Rugby has given us a lot to shout about in the last few years, but there is genuinely nothing like the outpouring of passion in the country when the International football team does well. Nothing even comes close to it.... you would think that it would lead to more people actually giving a crap about developing youth structures etc!

[MeathDrog]

Common sense but let's not get away from the fact it is completely self serving.

[BonnieShels]

Common sense but let's not get away from the fact it is completely self serving.

Ah give over.

There are those of us out there, like myself who have a situation ahead on Sunday which is now made somewhat easier by this decision.

[MeathDrog]

Ah give over.

There are those of us out there, like myself who have a situation ahead on Sunday which is now made somewhat easier by this decision.
If you cannot see that this is self serving first and foremost then you must not know the ins and outs of the GAA well enough. Don't be so naive.

Where was the GAA's common sense when Laois and Armagh were playing during the Ireland v Belgium game last week. The only difference this time is that there are thousands more expected at the game and they're charging 30 quid a pop (which is too much). And as always it's the players who are given the least regard, none of whom can enjoy what is the country's biggest sporting occasion in 14 years.

I have also heard that a nearby county board had league fixtures fixed at the same time as the game last night. Deliberately done as a clash to test loyalty as always and afaik one of the teams didn't travel so fairplay to them.

[BonnieShels]

If you cannot see that this is self serving first and foremost then you must not know the ins and outs of the GAA well enough. Don't be so naive.

Where was the GAA's common sense when Laois and Armagh were playing during the Ireland v Belgium game last week. The only difference this time is that there are thousands more expected at the game and they're charging 30 quid a pop (which is too much). And as always it's the players who are given the least regard, none of whom can enjoy what is the country's biggest sporting occasion in 14 years.

I have also heard that a nearby county board had league fixtures fixed at the same time as the game last night. Deliberately done as a clash to test loyalty as always and afaik one of the teams didn't travel so fairplay to them.

So what if there's a selfish bent to this decision? I never said there wasn't. You just jumped in with whinge about it.

It's not uncommon for the GAA to stage the All-Ireland Championship during the summer. And only the most incredibly optimistic would have thought that the Dublin-Meath match would clash with an Ireland QF given how the draw went and how our build up was.

Is it not better that they did this or would you prefer if they tried to test mine and others' loyalty? All sporting organisations are self-serving. So why wouldn't they suit themselves?

The players playing inter-county ball know the deal. Stop playing the violins for them.

And your anecdote about this nearby Co Board; so what? If they decide to be shortsighted let them. The players who said "f**k that" should be commended.

There are some who will criticise the GAA no matter what they do, that they are seeing sense in Leinster is something to be praised.

And re ticket prices: yeah, 30bills is too much, but that's a separate argument.

[MeathDrog]

So what if there's a selfish bent to this decision? I never said there wasn't. You just jumped in with whinge about it.

It's not uncommon for the GAA to stage the All-Ireland Championship during the summer. And only the most incredibly optimistic would have thought that the Dublin-Meath match would clash with an Ireland QF given how the draw went and how our build up was.

Is it not better that they did this or would you prefer if they tried to test mine and others' loyalty? All sporting organisations are self-serving. So why wouldn't they suit themselves?

The players playing inter-county ball know the deal. Stop playing the violins for them.

And your anecdote about this nearby Co Board; so what? If they decide to be shortsighted let them. The players who said "f**k that" should be commended.

There are some who will criticise the GAA no matter what they do, that they are seeing sense in Leinster is something to be praised.

And re ticket prices: yeah, 30bills is too much, but that's a separate argument.
I hardly jumped in with a whinge. I made a statement of fact which you ended up agreeing with anyway.

The possibility of a clash is not the problem. It's the principle of why they have moved the Leinster semi finals and not done the same last week which is the point I'm making. The Laois and Armagh game was deliberately fixed at the same time as the Ireland game.

Put it this way. If Kildare and Westmeath was a stand alone game in Croker on Sunday then there is absolutely zero chance it is moved. It is purely a commercial decision. I don't think they're terribly worried that the likes of me and you get to see the full Ireland game. That is secondary.

My anecdote about the county board is relevant because it shows that the GAA are not concerned about the national interest as a whole. Clashes with soccer games are a common occurrence especially in the later stages of Champions League games etc. not to mention junior soccer games.

The players lose out. Simple as. They produce the product for the GAA to cash in on and they miss out on a massive sporting occasion to boot. Talk about a double whammy.

[DeLorean]

This guy really doesn't get it. An utterly ridiculous article.

Ciarán Murphy: GAA doesn’t really need feed of pints to have a good time (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ciar%C3%A1n-murphy-gaa-doesn-t-really-need-feed-of-pints-to-have-a-good-time-1.2704382)

Like there's any comparison between being in a foreign country for a few days and making a day trip (by car!) to the Connacht semi final. I could compare a regular soccer qualifier in Dublin to a Kerry v Cork clash in Killarney too, to emphasise the extreme p!ss head nature of the GAA.

[tetsujin1979]

Is he really saying that GAA fans don't drink before/after games, or that it's just him that doesn't?

[DannyInvincible]

This guy really doesn't get it. An utterly ridiculous article.

Ciarán Murphy: GAA doesn’t really need feed of pints to have a good time (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ciar%C3%A1n-murphy-gaa-doesn-t-really-need-feed-of-pints-to-have-a-good-time-1.2704382)

Like there's any comparison between being in a foreign country for a few days and making a day trip (by car!) to the Connacht semi final. I could compare a regular soccer qualifier in Dublin to a Kerry v Cork clash in Killarney too, to emphasise the extreme p!ss head nature of the GAA.

If people want to add to their experience of something with a drink, who cares? Some people don't need GAA/rugby to have a good time. So what? It doesn't make anyone a superior or inferior person just because they enjoy different things differently. What a stupid "article".

[IsMiseSean]

This guy really doesn't get it. An utterly ridiculous article.

Ciarán Murphy: GAA doesn’t really need feed of pints to have a good time (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ciar%C3%A1n-murphy-gaa-doesn-t-really-need-feed-of-pints-to-have-a-good-time-1.2704382)

Like there's any comparison between being in a foreign country for a few days and making a day trip (by car!) to the Connacht semi final. I could compare a regular soccer qualifier in Dublin to a Kerry v Cork clash in Killarney too, to emphasise the extreme p!ss head nature of the GAA.

Is that the gimp from Galway who hosted Second Captains on RTE2?

[Eminence Grise]

Dear God, the stink of piety in that. 'Drink as a concept' - it's like a filler piece in a student mag.

[MeathDrog]

This guy really doesn't get it. An utterly ridiculous article.

Ciarán Murphy: GAA doesn’t really need feed of pints to have a good time (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ciar%C3%A1n-murphy-gaa-doesn-t-really-need-feed-of-pints-to-have-a-good-time-1.2704382)

Like there's any comparison between being in a foreign country for a few days and making a day trip (by car!) to the Connacht semi final. I could compare a regular soccer qualifier in Dublin to a Kerry v Cork clash in Killarney too, to emphasise the extreme p!ss head nature of the GAA.

One of the worst pieces I've read in a long time.

Incidentally the drunkest people I've seen at sporting events have all been at GAA games.

Murphy is behind Ken Early and McDevitt by some distance on Second Captains.

[tetsujin1979]

I've been to two of the live shows, Murph's by far the most comfortable on TV, but going on that, he's the worst writer of the three

[Dodge]

I haven't read the last 20 pages but could a mod close the thread now we know definitively the original intention of the thread is nonsense.

Thanks

[DeLorean]

You can't just close Stutt's favourite thread Dodge. :)

Maybe just change the title as it's not really just the popularity of the various sports that are discussed on here, but more the perceptions, values, hypocrisies, etc.

[tetsujin1979]

it's an ongoing debate, so I'm not going to close the thread
open to suggestions on a new title - "Comparison between attitudes to football, rugby and GAA"

[Stuttgart88]

What about "Spare me the moral sanctimony of non-football fans"? :)

[BonnieShels]

What about "Spare me the moral sanctimony of non-football fans"? :)

non-soccer fans*