As an avid sports person willing to try almost any sport I can get my hands on, I couldn’t not talk about American vs Irish sports. I won’t lie, before I came here I really didn’t see the attraction to American football, at all at all. But now I’m starting to get the whole cult following. I’ve gone to a couple of the SRU games and watched others on TV and I still haven’t fully grasped the rules (I spend a lot of time asking what the heck just happened?). I can’t count the first game really; that was a complete washout and I ended up leaving after 20 minutes. I know, I’m not proud. It was really cool to see the band and cheerleaders and all of the buildup, though. Before I came here I honestly thought that was just in the movies, I can’t believe that all really happens at every game! We don’t have anything like that except in really big games and even then it doesn’t come close to the big production here.
One of the hardest things for me to comprehend here is the sheer amount of money pumped into sports and players here. Between scholarships, gear, overnight trips, coaches, stadiums and all the rest that goes with it, it’s got to be the biggest cost on the university.You have to understand that Irish sports are run verrry differently when it comes to money. Firstly even if you are the best player in the country in one of the two most popular sports we have (Gaelic football and Hurling) you don’t get paid. Not a penny. Our national sports are all amateur. The stars are as recognisable, fit and open to scrutiny as any football or basketball player here, yet they all have actual jobs alongside their sporting career. Henry Shefflin is widely recognised as the best Hurler of this decade, yet he balances his intense training with his day job as a banker. The coaches too have day jobs. Brian Cody has won 11 all-Ireland championships as a coach (a phenomenal amount for any sport) and he is a primary school teacher at the same time. They are involved in sports for the love of the game, for the most part at least. There are a certain amount of scholarships on offer but they are for nominal amounts compared to here, and the majority of the time you must get into college in academic merit first before you can apply for a scholarship. A bit different to the system in place here.
The Gaelic Athletic Association (governing body of Hurling and Gaelic Football) has a yearly turnover of roughly 60 million euro ($65 million) and considering this is from an amateur sport in an area smaller than Pennsylvania state, that’s by no means a small figure. Players get gear, travel costs, some food, training costs etc. provided for them. So basically, they aren’t at a loss. If you’re playing for the county, that is. If you just play club, you rarely get this. Many players spend their own money for this, leaving them out of pocket. This particularly happens in women’s sports, unfortunately, but there has recently been a big push to garner equal publicity for men and women’s sports. (1 /2)
I'm not a huge fan of american football either, nor do I understand all of it's rules. It's mind blowing how much American athletes, especially in the NFL get paid to just play a game for people to watch. I never really thought about sports from another country or if they get paid, so its very interesting to learn that they don't get paid at all. I think that's much better than the stupid contracts american athletes get to sign and get paid millions of dollars in a year. They're rolling in money for doing nothing really. I would imagine Irish athletes are much better people with much stronger morals as well because they don't do what they do for money or publicity, its simply out of a love for the game and I admire that.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of american football either, nor do I understand all of it's rules. It's mind blowing how much American athletes, especially in the NFL get paid to just play a game for people to watch. I never really thought about sports from another country or if they get paid, so its very interesting to learn that they don't get paid at all. I think that's much better than the stupid contracts american athletes get to sign and get paid millions of dollars in a year. They're rolling in money for doing nothing really. I would imagine Irish athletes are much better people with much stronger morals as well because they don't do what they do for money or publicity, its simply out of a love for the game and I admire that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I cannot believe that everyone gets so pumped up over every football game. Like you, I spend a lot of time asking what happened, (or just staying quiet because I do not want to embarrass myself). It is also hard for me to comprehend the amount of money spent on sports. I always knew it was a big money market, but the actual figures are very astonishing. I think it is awesome that in Ireland people play for the love of the sport and that they have other jobs as well. I think American professional athletes are absolutely insane! Most do not have other jobs, and if (and when) their athletic career comes to an end, they have no where else to turn. Granted they have enough money that they wouldn't have to worry about being "unemployed," but still it is something they should all think about. I also think it is great that they are starting to push for equality for men and women sports in Ireland. While Title IX might not be the greatest thing ever, I think it is improtant for women to have the same opportunities as men.
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