Sir, – Someone should telephone Croke Park to let them know we are in the middle of a serious recession with record levels of emigration, unemployment, debt, and depression, while the GAA behaves like boom-time brats serving up enjoyment and happiness as if they never end; blasting the pundits of doom with levels of entertainment of the highest order at absolutely minimum cost.
Poor soccer has to pay Gareth Bale €100 million to score a goal a week while our heroes from Clare, Cork, Dublin and Mayo provide superior displays of skills and scores for practically nothing. Did you ever see the likes of Anthony Nash’s free? Lift, hop, swing, and whack! You’d feel like singing, “Messi, I hardly knew you”.
It’s just not fair, amateurs beating professionals at their own game while providing the populace with happy, healthy, wholesome entertainment for practically nothing.
The GAA should be reported to the European regulator for “unprofessional practices” and for defying all market principles. No! No! On second thoughts, better say nothing. I know it’s wrong to be smiling, laughing, backslapping, and (God forgive) smirking in this era of austerity, but we can’t help it.
Let’s discreetly congratulate the management and players of the Gaelic Games for the superb contests of skill, passion, endurance and commitment they served up this summer, and snuff the troika! – Yours, etc,
BERNARD HAYES,
Synge Street, Dublin 8.