With pay-per-view GAA, are some emigrants more equal than others?

The first mow of grass and the ball is thrown in ahead of another long summer. This year’s championship will be successful for some and a let-down for others, but one thing on many people’s minds is the new TV deal.

Will it lead to a new era for the GAA? Is it a step too far? What about our diaspora and the broader promotion of Gaelic games internationally? Also, with the debt on Croke Park finally paid off and the new tv revenues, is it time to look at bringing more of the big games to provincial venues?

I had reservations about the Sky deal from the moment I heard about it. The arguments for and against have been well vented at this stage. However, I’ve detected a lot of dissatisfaction with it. It is very unfair to elderly people who have played, attended and watched games all their lives and are not now able to attend games, as well as well as young families who can’t afford Sky subscriptions. Where there are rumblings of discontent now, imagine the reaction if a glamour quarter-final such as Kerry v Dublin was only available on Sky.