What the GAA are most guilty of in their TV deals with Sky Sports is just not being honest.
What are the motivations for the deal? The real motivations. Just say them – then you wouldn’t get people pulling you up on technicalities as well as moralities.
The idea was put forward that the new broadcaster was going to attract new fans of Gaelic Games and it was going to do a huge service to Irish emigrants living away from home but, in actual fact, it hasn’t been very helpful at all on either front.
Viewing figures are dire and this service to emigrants? Well, what the hell was GAA GO for?
This is just weird pic.twitter.com/8ZJt0IDpgo
— Cahair O'Kane (@CahairOKane1) June 4, 2016
In actual fact, the Sky deal has only worked against GAA GO and made it harder for emigrants living in Britain to access their native games.
On The GAA Hour this week, UCD lecturer Paul Rouse was having none of the bullshit. In an informed and passionate rant, the Irish history and sports expert debunked almost every possible reason the GAA would have for a deal with Sky Sports. Not only a deal – a rumoured new five-year deal.
“They presented this as a deal for emigrants and for some strange reason, remarkably, forgot to mention that this service was already there for emigrants,” Rouse said on SportsJOE’s GAA Hour.
“GAA GO is supposedly for emigrants, Irish emigrants all over the world – except in Britain, where all those games are on Sky and you can’t get it. The games that are on Sky are not on GAA GO so, if you’re an Irish emigrant in Britain – which is where the greatest number of Irish emigrants are – you can’t watch those games on GAA GO. You have to buy a GAA GO subscription and a Sky subscription.”
Still, it looks like those rights are about to be renewed.
“What is absolutely clear here is that this is a complete triumph of the unimportance of evidence,” Rouse blasted the GAA. “I take the point that you might want to try it, but then when you look at the facts…
“Now, you’re basically saying, ‘well, you know what, we’re going again and not only are we going again, we’re going harder this time.’
“You say you want to have a debate with the GAA, there’s actually no point. This is a deal that has been done, there is no changing the minds on this.
“Those of us who oppose it, I regret to say this but we should just fold our tents and go home because we have lost and lost hugely.”
Listen to the full explosive chat below. Subscribe here on iTunes
