Getting the balance right
What we hear on the radio, see on the news, and read in the papers ultimately shapes our perceptions of events. However it has also highlighted society’s insatiable thirst for controversy and scandal, and the now derided phone hackings carried out by The News of the World were only done in an effort to quench that thirst.
Over the past few years a lot has been made about the role The Sunday Game panellists and other commentators have in terms of influencing the way in which our games are perceived along with how disciplinary procedures are conducted.
Certainly, this year especially, it can be argued that increased time is given to the controversial and contentious issues that occur over any given weekend and the derision of the modern game by its past masters has moved up a notch or two.
Does the GAA public have the same thirst for scandal and controversy in the games they follow as they do in today’s celebrity mire? Are they more interested in seeing today’s stars hauled up in front of a ‘kangaroo court’ rather than have them lauded for their individual efforts of skill, determination and commitment?
Growing up my only link to the greater GAA world was that hour on a Sunday evening when Michael Lyster et al discussed the weekend’s encounters. I struggle to remember many examples of when their time was taken up with the controversial stuff our current analysts debate on an increasingly frequent nature.
They were different times, however. With full length televised games few and far between, highlights of the weekend games with limited camera angles was all we were treated to.
That also goes along way to explaining the notion that the game of yesteryear was in some way much better than today’s fare. Back then we simply only ever got to see the good bits! However, with today’s blanket coverage you get to see ‘warts and all’ and with that the ‘open house’ criticising ensues.
Watching the first half of Cork and Down on Saturday afternoon, I got very frustrated with the amount of time taken to discuss and replay some of the fouls or bookings considering the quality of the scores and play on show. At one stage the commentary team debated at length whether an ankle tap by Michael Shields merited a red card. Yet moments later Alan O’Connor’s mesmeric one hand catch in the middle of the field was allowed to pass by without hardly a mention, never mind half a dozen slow motion replays. Have our analysts become so obsessed with discipline, refereeing errors and derision of the modern game that they forget to take the take time to appreciate the skills and quality of the games and players we have?
Just look how the likes of George Hook and Brent Pope can eulogise at length over rugby matches which contain only a fraction of the skill and flair displayed by those who play the indigenous codes week in week out.
While I’m a great admirer of the professionalism and conduct of the oval ball affiliates, to me it is a much inferior game to that of football and hurling. Dominated by physicality and athleticism as opposed to skill and flair, for me a good game of junior football will always trump any rugby game. Rugby though has been made into a great TV sport and the marketing and promoting of the games through the media has to be admired.
Take the Aussie Rules weekly highlights on a Saturday morning as another case in point. For me the best part of the programme is at the end when the top scores and top marks of the week are shown. Why could the Sunday Game or TV3 not do something similar for the All-Ireland series? Why can’t the last five minutes of programming show the top five scores and plays of the weekend, culminating with a ‘Score of the Championship’ competition in September.
Even if some of the more contentious issues of the weekend had to be covered, would it not be much better to sign off on a positive note that reminds viewers why gaelic football an hurling are the most popular sports on the island?
Highlight and accentuate the positives at every opportunity. Have the kids at school or at summer camps the following morning talking about and re-enacting the great scores on show the previous night, their image being the last thing they see before the credits roll.
At the same time, however, there is no point in analysts papering over the cracks and they are obliged to call a spade a spade when necessary. Without question, some of our rules and procedures need tweaking to align themselves with the modern game, not to mention making the impossible job referees currently face somewhat easier.
But we will never have a flawless product. In sport, as in life mistakes are made. Human error is something evolution has yet to conquer and we just have to accept that mistakes will continue to be part and parcel of the game.
Over the past few years Monday morning discussions have too often revolved around controversy. Again that is a product of what the media is feeding them. The vast majority of people do not form their own opinion on games; it is subliminally transferred via their medium of choice.
The GAA has an excellent product which is backed by many remarkable people who have dedicated their lives to the association. Different times lie ahead for all of the stakeholders and with competition from other sports increasing every year, everyone has a responsibility to market our games in as positive a light as possible.
