Why is there ever a debate about who was the best Irish Sports person ever? *READ OP*

ToddDameron wrote: »

Not really, you play an enormous amount of games when taking cups into consideration and have to consistently perform week in and week out (against players from all over the world) to keep your place, and at a top club you will be replaced if you don't. Constant international scrutiny and pressure from fans, management and media. To do all of that 5 or 6 times is remarkable, and the wages and prize money reflect that.

They get paid to suck up that pressure. They get paid handsomely . They basically get their arse’s wiped for them. They don’t have to worry about bills or work. Everything is laid out for them at training

Unless they are into social media, those professionals don’t have to listen to one word or read one line of criticism from the rest of the world . Certainly not From the pie eating fan in the stands

A GAA player has to go into his 9-5 job (or more) on Monday morning . (Not all of them are teachers or Gardai or soldiers - jobs that are lenient on getting time off ) . They have to listEn to the bar stool managers who barely made the club team ,mouthing off about what went wrong and how they’d do it . If they want to go for a sneaky pint or have a cigarette, there will always be one local bollox ringing up the manager of the county team complaining . The jealousy of some people is unreal against county players , especially from club players .

Oh sure, Fergie was infamous for having spies in all the pubs in Manchester , but GAA lads don’t get paid ,yet are expected to be professional

Multiple GAA men have to do 2-3 hour Return car journeys down from Dublin or other big cities to train for the county twice a week (Jobs or studying in Dublin)

Even in Dublin, I recall 2001, Dublin went through the qualifiers and had a good run. Ray Cosgrove was their main sharp shooter. Kerry v Dublin Replay was one of the big two games that season (played in Stemple Stadium of all places) Ray bursted into the county scene.

A few weeks later The sport pages reported that Ray was left go from his job (electrician or some other construction related job ) because he couldn’t commit to doing over time hours due to his GAA commitments (as you know, building industry was booming )

Now had he won an All Ireland , that would be some going. The Donegal lads in college Or work in Dublin and Galway Have a long trek every week . It just as bad for the smaller counties

County teams have big turn over of players because players can’t commit due to work or studies - yet the fans expect those counties to still compete For All Ireland’s . Counties don’t receive any compensation for the lost of a player

Professionals sports teams sell on players and can replace them with better players if they pay the money

A county has just the same amount of pressure and scrutiny in their world as a Premier League team winning the EPL

teednab-el wrote: »

She did fold on the big stage though. Atlanta 1996 a true reminder. She should have won gold in Sydney too.

She was ill. It happens. Clean sports people aren’t machines . She didn’t walk out on her country over a needless row . She didn’t pick and chose when to turn up for events

Olympics are not the be all and end all , way too emphasis is played on that in her sport. World championships also matter