Remember when Aidan O’Shea was the worst human being to ever walk the face of the Earth because he posed for a few selfies?
The modern-day Judas may as well have spat a big gulp of Earl Grey on the tri-colour for betraying the values the GAA have been building since the great potato famine of 1916.
Making time for the fans, being kind enough to sign autographs and smiling to a front-facing camera beside some enthusiastic young fans who were just delighted to meet you – that’s not what the GAA is all about, surely?
Oh wait, maybe it is.
Isn’t promoting a sense of community through the medium of sport not the type of thing that the GAA stands for? Do they not kind of promote the concept of no one man being bigger than his parish, club or county while every supporter feels a connection to their team, even if they’re not directly involved?
Fuck it, selfies are unforgivable.
Denied a selfie 😂 https://t.co/wfqFrvLkma
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 22, 2017
The criticism O’Shea received for not being too big for his boots to pose for a couple of snaps was nothing compared to the backlash he would have received for turning his nose up to children.
“Sorry kids, I know you’re massive fans, but that would be just a bad PR move. Now, scurry while I finish my warm down.”
Imagine how well that would have went down.
Fortunately, for all the pundits and scribes that were laying into O’Shea for serving the fans, there were plenty more who stood up for the Mayo man. Loads of people saw the ridiculousness of venom being spat in his direction. Even Shane Lowry got in a solid gag quoting a tweet that praised Galway hurler Joe Canning for signing autographs for fans after his side defeated Dublin.
Disgraceful behaviour that he's signing autographs and taking selfies 😏😏😏😂😂😂 https://t.co/XBU9sapXeC
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) May 29, 2017
Never change, Mr Lowry. Never change.
