The dangers of creating slaves to the warrior code

Why do GAA players look so miserable on the front cover of their autobiographies?

Surely, if they’ve had a career worth recounting in book form, they should be gazing down at us from bookshelves with cheesy, some-guys-have-all-the-luck grins?

I really only noticed this a few weeks ago when details of Sean Cavanagh’s memoir were announced. Entitled The Obsession , the cover features Cavanagh — a man whose default expression is a cheeky, chipmunky smile — glowering moodily in monochrome tones.