GAA has lost moral argument in Sky row
HATS off to Michael Duignan this week, who spoke on behalf of a GAA nation last Sunday night when he demanded that all games be shown on free-to-air television. In so doing, the Sportsmail columnist did the GAA a service in reigniting a debate which had been iced by the latest deal with Sky. There is a fundamental principle at play here, one that is repeatedly lost on those who justify putting our games behind a paywall and who rabbit on about ensuring that the TV rights market is kept honest. What about being honest with the thousands upon thousands of volunteers who give up their time at grassroots level in the name of the GAA and then find, because they have not signed up to a media profit-making monster, they are denied access to the very games that they selflessly promote? The GAA can’t sell itself on one hand as an amateur non-profit organisation and then interact with the same community it depends on as if it is a hard-nosed professional franchise. The GAA has long lost the moral argument on this, which is why it can only lean on stone-cold commercial language to justify a relationship with Sky which has been shown — by its viewing figures — to be an absolute failure. What disturbs is that in losing the argument and in the face of hard evidence that this is not working, it still pushed ahead and renewed that deal with Sky. But it is not enough to win the moral argument; the GAA grassroots have to impose their will on this issue. The silent majority must be heard by mandating county committees to seek a change of policy. And if that does not happen then it will expose a democratic deficit far more damaging than any subscription television deal.