Sound of silence great for media but not for fans

A confession. I love media bans. They are wonderful. It gives us journalists something to write about. Take this column for example…

Okay, I jest, but only slightly. Whether Armagh win or lose, or whether Armagh talk or don’t talk, it really doesn’t matter that much to the media. Life and the championship will go on.

However, it would be inaccurate to claim that Armagh’s boycott is a total irrelevance. That’s not true.

A media ban does have an effect. It impacts players, it impacts supporters, and it frustrates sponsors. It also creates an awkward division between the football squad and the media. It’s not a pleasant situation.

As someone who can remember when the sports section of The Irish News was limited to three pages (and two of those were allocated to racing), it’s depressing to see a county withdrawing its co-operation.

How Gaelic footballers from yesteryear would have craved the recognition which their successors are granted today. Media bans must baffle them.

Let’s not forget the years when the GAA complained bitterly about the lack of press coverage. Now, we have county teams turning their backs on journalists while other sports are pining for their attention. It doesn’t make much sense.

Ultimately, the most disappointing aspect of media blackouts is they prevent stories from being told.

The championship is a vast and sprawling tapestry. A journalist’s job is to magnify the richness of the various strands and colours.

Take James O’Donoghue. Until a fortnight ago, I’d never met him. I knew him as a Kerry footballer. He was a player on the pitch, a face on the screen. Then I met him at a press conference that was held to launch the championship.

O’Donoghue sat in a circle of journalists and talked as if he was at the family dinner table. He was relaxed and open. The anecdotes flowed. Shortly after he won his first All Star last year, the 24-year-old realised that he’d become a pub question. When he attended a table quiz, the teams were asked to name the two Kerry players who had won an All Star but no All-Ireland medal.

While the question amused O’Donoghue it also made him realise that in Kerry he would never be classed a complete footballer unless he owned a Celtic Cross.

“You’re not a real Kerry player until you’ve performed in Croke Park, in the white heat of championship, in an All-Ireland final, and you know, come home with the trophy,” he said.

Despite his strong ambitions, the Killarney man also revealed he never believed he would actually play for his county. His aspirations only changed when he came into Paul Galvin’s orbit.

“I was just a huge fan,” he said. “It wasn’t until Paul Galvin trained us in the school, and he brought that sense of possibility to the table, that some of us were good enough. So I always looked up to Paul Galvin.”

As O’Donoghue talked about growing up in Kerry, the culture of the county and his dreams for the future, he changed.

He was no longer just a face. He was a person. He was a schoolboy who feared he wasn’t good enough. He was an All Star who realised he had to achieve more.

Suddenly, O’Donoghue made this year’s tapestry brighter. Surely, there is no harm in that.

Evidently, the Killarney man’s chat with the press didn’t have any negative effect as he kicked 1-5 from play against Galway.

When O’Donoghue’s press conference is compared to the one which was attended by Kevin Dyas, it makes depressing reading.

Before arriving in Dublin, he was instructed not to speak to the press. He could pose for pictures, but talking was not permitted.

So, unlike the Kerryman, Dyas’s story remains untold. That is annoying because I remember Dyas when he played on the Abbey CBS team that won the Hogan Cup in 2006. His manager, Jody Gormley, tipped me off that his centre half-back was a bit special and he was picked to mark Marty Clarke in the MacRory Cup final.

Collingwood noticed too and Dyas was signed by the AFL club. After two years, he came home. Since then, he has struggled to fulfil his early promise. This is the first year Dyas has truly blossomed. Deployed as an outlet player in the half-forward he has thrived.

Dyas is one of several Armagh players having the best summer of their careers. Unfortunately, to the public, Stephen Harold, Aaron Findon, Stefan Campbell, Aidan Forker, Mark Shields and Aidan Forker will simply be the occupants of an orange jersey.

Maybe the players don’t mind, but perhaps their parents, extended family and friends would enjoy seeing them get their moment in the spotlight. It’s also worth remembering it’s managers and senior players who suggest and impose these media bans. These individuals have already done their two-page feature-length interviews. Their families have compiled several scrapbooks. The novelty has worn off.

Sadly, some of these Armagh footballers might never get this opportunity again. A player’s career is short. Injuries and poor form can make it even shorter.

Perhaps the most depressing aspect about the ban is that it’s not really a media ban anymore. It’s more of a superstition. Paul Grimley has already been quoted in several media outlets. He has talked to reporters.

But now that they’ve won a few games, Armagh feel duty bound to maintain the pretence. The theory is the siege mentality is contributing to their good run. Yet, just examine the teams Armagh have beaten: Cavan, Tyrone, Roscommon and Meath. None of those wins was beyond the realms of possibility.

But if Armagh beat Donegal on Saturday, that would be evidence of an improvement that’s hard to quantify. Should they beat the Ulster champions, I wouldn’t encourage them to break their ban.

And that’s the bind Armagh have put themselves in. They have locked themselves into a Catch-22. The tension between media and management will continue, and in the long term, it’s difficult to understand how that will benefit the Orchard County.

But that’s largely unimportant. The real loser is the fans of the championship. Some of these Armagh players will never enjoy another season like it. When it’s gone, it will be over for good, which means this year’s tapestry is that little bit duller than it should have been.