There’s one rule for Tiger, another for the GAA

A MEDIA law expert sees no “meaningful distinction” between GAA players drinking Club Energise during television interviews and sports people like Tiger Woods wearing sponsored clothing during interviews.

Dr Roddy Flynn of DCU's School of Communications said the ongoing dispute between the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and RTÉ about displaying Club Energise in interviews has its roots in the EU's Television Without Frontiers directive of 1989. The directive, which was updated in 1997, bans surreptitious advertising on European television.

Asked about GPA claims that GAA players were not being treated the same as other sports people, Dr Flynn said: "I can't see any meaningful distinction between a guy picking up a bottle for an interview and someone like Tiger Woods wearing Nike for an interview. The current argument seems to be that it looks a bit shabby for GAA players to drink on camera, while there's a sheen of professionalism with the likes of Tiger Woods."