It could be wonderful or it could be catastrophic for the GAA as so many people know it, but one thing is for certain – it is controversial.
Yes, the GAA – an organisation founded on an ethos of social and cultural development through sport – has sold its soul to Sky Sports.
The soul selling has come in the form of exclusive island of Ireland rights to 14 championship games along with joint live coverage of the All-Ireland Hurling and Football semi-finals.
The deal is worth between a reported €1.5m and €2m in total, according to the Irish Independent
Is it the end of Gaelic Games as we know them? That much is too early to know, or comment on but it hasn’t stopped some.
The GAA’s new motto: Pay per view but not pay for play
Joe Brolly, Twitter
On the negative the reason Sky are interested is for one reason. Keith Higgins Bernard Brogan Colm Copper…. I.e. The players!!
Who are so called Amateurs….and it’s more money to the Gaa Coffers…will this filter to the players. ..I don’t think so…
Aidan O’Shea, Twitter
Sky Sports, for all their faults – huge subscription fees for the ordinary joe being one – will undoubtedly bring top class coverage to the sport.
It could be a joy to watch and a real excitement boost for the GAA and those just beginning to learn about the Games.
However, the obvious worry is that the championship will become another Premiership and in turn lose touch with reality and the community ethos the GAA is supposed to revere.
There are good points and benefits from the deal, but they come with huge risks and dark clouds accompanying them.
The money for the GAA is good, but only if it is used accordingly.
There are some out there blindly preaching that Sky Sports’ involvement and the money they bring is superb for all involved. No. It is good for the GAA as an organisation, how they then use that money will determine whether it is good for us all.
As mentioned, this point must be allowed to play out before a true decision can be made on the good or bad, but are we supposed to believe the suits in Croke Park really don’t want a slice of the Sky Sports’ monetary pie?
The wider coverage aspect bandied about by GAA President Liam O’Neill is another red herring.
“Making our games more widely available to Irish people abroad was a critical factor in our approach to these negotiations.
“We are also glad that this brings the quality and excitement of our games to a wider international audience.”
Liam O’Neill, BBC Sport NI
Could some deal not have been brokered to see that the RTE Player become Worldwide, or at least to encompass the UK and Island of Ireland for GAA?
The Sky Sports’ deal isn’t exactly a big bundle of joy for exiles living in America, Australia and further flung places.
The UK is BskyB’s target market, and those living in the UK would have been just as happy to watch Kerry, Cork, Dublin or Derry on the internet for free (via the RTE Player) as they would having to fork out for the glitz and glamour (if that’s what you call it) of pay-per-view TV.
A final bittersweet thought, and the real crux of the case concerning the future of the game as it is, is what the undoubtedly more glamorous coverage might do for the players.
The over-analysis currently scything its way through Sky Sports’ soccer coverage for the past few years has produced so many “what if” nonsensical arguments that many of the games played became caricatures of themselves.
Soccer players in England’s Premier League now have an over-bearing sense of importance in the world, despite the fact that they are only players playing a game in one country.
It’s not hard to guess who helped spawn that belief.
The GAA doesn’t need this, but one thing is clear – Sky Sports won’t be afraid to push the hierarchy. They’ve been controlling the Premier League in England for a good decade now.
This deal could become the biggest revolution of Gaelic Games the GAA has ever faced. Brace yourselves.