Michael Duignan set the debate in motion regarding Sky Sport’s coverage of the GAA with his cameo on The Sunday Game.
Many claim that Sky’s involvement with the GAA is a huge advantage to the GAA, that it helps bring valuable global recognition to the game.
Duignan’s argument was that Sky’s coverage, which prevents some games from being free-to-air in this country, such as Kilkenny and Waterford’s clash on Saturday, is unfair on the people who “have supported the GAA all of their lives.”
Paddy Stapleton was speaking on The GAA Hour Hurling Show on Monday when he claimed that Sky’s involvement is of huge benefit to the GAA in diversifying the game.
“My own thoughts on it are, if you can get it around the world to anybody (the international appeal that Sky has), I don’t care where they’re from, people should be seeing hurling and football. Obviously, we think they’re the best games in the world, but the amount of foreigners that have seen the sport and are kind of in awe.
The Borrisoleigh club man believes that RTÉ have gotten too comfortable with the monopoly that they have had on GAA coverage in Ireland and feels they have rested on their laurels, as such.
“RTÉ can’t just say, it can’t be ‘poor RTÉ,’ you know. They have the chance to go out there (and exploit their dominance). They’ve had a monopoly on it all the time so they have to put more effort in. Could they have jigged around the times of matches so that they could have shown the Tipperary and Dublin match? Possibly they could. Could they get TV3 and TG4 involved as well?”
The former Tipperary corner back admitted that he doesn’t have Sky, and believes there should be a special package for GAA fans who just want to watch the GAA, instead of paying the full subscription fee for Sky.
“I do think the matches should be available for the people who have no interest in the rest of the package (that Sky offer) because it is quite expensive. It’s thirty or forty euro’s (monthly.) Personally, I don’t have Sky, I only have BT and I can’t afford to have the two of them. I don’t like going to a pub to watch it,” said the 31-year-old.
The lads were in full agreement, however, that regardless of who is showing the games, there should be more games shown live on television. There was ten Championship games played at the weekend, and only four of them were televised.
“I’d watch two flies going up a wall. Any GAA game that’s on, I will be tuning in, be it football or hurling,” like many GAA fanatics around the country.
You can listen to the debate here from the top of the top of the GAA Hour Hurling Show.
