GAA and the media

Vunderground

'I'm surprised this hasn't received more attention in the national media.'

I've taken this from the thread on Hill 16 referring to a bit of fighting. The only time I was at Croke Park the crowd passed the time by burning Union Jacks. The match was Kildare against somebody I can't really remember. This wasn't reported in the media either. I think there is more than a element of 'fans with typewriters' about the people who write about the GAA. They are all involed in selling the same product. The all out violence on the pitch is mad too. People get arrested for less in the real world - even in Newbridge (popular venue for random violence blamed by the local media on the side effects of chip consumption).

I started a new thred 'cos I'd be interested in what real GAA fans have to say.

Waylander

I have never witnessed anything like the burning of union jacks in all my visits to Croker. As for on the pitch, it is the physical nature of the game that makes it so exciting to my mind. I am not sure what you are referring to when you refer to all out violence on the pitch. Is this in general course of play, or are you talking about fights that break out etc?

Vunderground

I'm sure it doesn't happen all the time, but there were people burning Union Jacks on the Hill 16 end at that match. I'm not likely to forget it as I was very shocked. It was part of my job at the time to monitor all the Irish daily newspapers and there was no mention of the incident.

Its the violence on the pitch I was referring to. Last week in England there was talk of arresting footballers for on the field assault. The matches in Ulster last week end would have kept the courts busy for a bit. It was interesting that the analyists on UTV were saying that southern referees didn't understand northern gaellic football and the compere wasn't pushing them.

I guess what I'm saying is that there is an us against them mentality in the GAA which means that critising the behaviour of players or supporters is tantamout to treason and that this is enabled by the uncritical coverage the GAA gets in all sections of the media.

28064212

There have been a few cases of GAA players being done for assault on the pitch, but those were serious attacks, like smashing somebodys face in with a hurley. I presume the soccer suggestions were for equally serious attacks, at the very least a straight out punch. There is very little of this in the GAA, most of it is just handbags stuff.

mchurl

You will get violence from fans in all types of sports as there is a small minority of people intent on causing trouble but generally fans are well behaved.As for the so-called "violence" on the pitch gaa matches have always been hard hitting and sometimes people get carried away.I have been playing gaa for about 10 years now and not once have i experienced a fued from the pitch being carried on after the match.What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.

Kingp35

mchurl wrote:

You will get violence from fans in all types of sports as there is a small minority of people intent on causing trouble but generally fans are well behaved.As for the so-called "violence" on the pitch gaa matches have always been hard hitting and sometimes people get carried away.I have been playing gaa for about 10 years now and not once have i experienced a fued from the pitch being carried on after the match.What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.

Exactly.

GAA is a passionate sport and tempers are going to get out of hand every now and again. i would hardly call it "violence". Sure look at rugby for example that is a violent sport but then again its part of the sport and why people love it. If you took that element of the game away it would ruin the sport and make it boring. The game is built on passion if you take that away you take away our sport

28064212

The whole burning Union Jacks is OTT though. I was very surprised to read this, as I've never seen anything even close. As a whole I've found that sectarian politics (and politics as a whole) are kept well out of GAA. Even against one of the 6 counties it would be unusual to hear an anti-Brit chant

Waylander

How long ago was that match with the burning union jack? As regrds the on pitch 'violence', I do not think this is as bad as you think it is. There is the occassional punch thrown or scuffle breaking out, but rarely anything too serious. As I said earlier I like that it is a physical game, and I think that soccer has gone too far in removing the physical aspect from that game. The people who play GAA know what kind of sport they are getting involved in so I do not really go with the violence on the pitch arguement, because as long as there are sports like boxing etc, it is hard to see how GAA can be criticised.

D'associashun

Vunderground is in fact correct about the Union Jack burning incident, it was at half-time in the Dublin v Kildare Replay in June 1998. I was on Hill 16 myself that day, it was the usual suspects at the Nally Stand side of the Hill that did it.

coolhandluke

I was there as well and it did happen,but contrary to what Vunderground said it made the front page of the star.When i saw the paper the next day,i recongnised one of the lads from school,a hardcore celtic supporter and regular traveller to that bastion of anti-sectarianism that is parkhead.
Another summer supporter on the bandwagon.

Vunderground

I stand corrected. I'd have read just the Times/Examiner/Independent as the people I worked for didn't take The Star seriously. It's interesting to hear, after all this time, that the guy who did it was wearing a Celtic shirt. Why doesn't that surprise me?

Not to say that all Celtic fans are the same, but the fact that lots of them like to get hammered on alcohol and sing rebel songs (songs of hate and ignorance) at gigs set up by really cynical promoters after every clash with that other shower of bigots says a lot.

Did the GAA condemn the flag burning? You might expect that as it happened at one of their grounds.

coolhandluke

Unfortunately Vunderground i didn't say he was wearing a celtic top,it was a long time ago but they may well have been bedecked in dublin jersey's.I just knew one of the blokes to be a hardcore celtic supporter first and occasional dublin match attender second.Just because someone buys a dublin jersey does not make them a genuine dublin supporter and to be fair you could say the same thing about celtic jersey's.

Vunderground

Of course. I'm just very sensitive to anti-English sentiment because a close relative was a Londoner and to go back to the first post it was a shock to go out on a Sunday and see the Union Jack being burned like that. I would compare it to having somebody burn a tricolour at a Premiership football match. You wouldn't be the better for seeing it.

coolhandluke

To be fair Vunderground,i had never seen something like that prior to that and have never seen anything like that since.It's not like anyone goes to croke park with a union jack tied around their waist,so this was surely some kind of planned stunt by a couple of ****ing idiots.

Blackjack

A friend of mine was there and told me about that. He also told me that the cops were quite swift to deal with the persons in question. Once the cops are there to deal with it, then it's not in the GAA's hands. To be fair to the GAA they would never encourage or condone this kind of behaviour. Whether they commented on it or not at the time I don't know, but it was 7 years ago now.

I do recall a mention of this in the Irish times at the time - I am searching to see if I can find the Article, but I think it may have been in the "breaking news" section. However, giving this carry on media attention only serves to highlight the aims of the idiots that carry it out.

As regards the violence of the game and people being arrested, I wonder will the 2 all Blacks that Speared O'Driscoll into the ground on Saturday morning be arrested and charged with GBH?. I doubt if somehow.

Vunderground

Thats fair enough and thanks for all the thoughtful responses.

nlgbbbblth

I've been to a few football and hurling league matches in Ruislip, London and I've never saw any supporters carrying Union Jacks there.

Mind you the last time I was there was 1998 so things might have changed since then.

DUB

I'm another fan who is yet to see a uinion jack go up in flames at a match ... are you sure your not making that up? ... how long ago was it? ... sounds like anti-GAA nonsense to me.

As for a few digs being thrown I dont know, i think people over hype when a few digs get thrown, it is a contact sport after all, if the rugby boys throw a few punches on the pitch then it "handbags", even if one player has another pinned and punches him again and again ... The odd puch goes flying in GAA but rarely an assault liuke i've seen in rugby. Then again Rugby is such a contact sport it is understandable. I think people who make too much of these things are armchair fans.

Flukey

I rarely miss a match in Croke Park, but I do remember once seeing a Union Jack being burnt on Hill 16, but that is the only time I have ever see anything like that. It would have been around that time alright, 1998.

It was a bit embarassing as I had a cousin from England and her boyfriend with me at the time. One of the things that normally is commented on by English people and other nationalities visiting Croke Park is the lack of crowd problems and the fact that the fans are not and don't need to be segregated. It is certainly something that the GAA and the people that follow its games, can hold their heads up high on account of. There are many, not least English soccer, that would love to be able to have that.

Danno

I feel that the GAA need to set up an anti-yobism/hooliganism unit in HQ to tackle this crap head on before it grows and grows.

A 5 year ban from all GAA grounds would be the perfect reward for this nonsense.

Flukey

Well there is very, very little of it, so a unit is not needed. The normal policing and security arrangements are usually more than adequate. The incident we are talking about here was a one-off about 7 years ago. These type of things are commonplace in other sports. With all the great rivalries between teams we don't have any of the kinds of problems that other sports have. We don't have a "Rangers/Celtic" equivalent here, even amongst the greatest rivals. The only vicious thing you'll get in rivalries like that is a slagging!