Look. Some valid points being made. With regard to the availability of the matches, and the affordable pricing. Yes it's great to have them available, albeit at a fee. And there's very few people who can't afford the 12 euro per game or whatever it is.
I am arguing the principles of this issue:
- We are already paying a license fee to RTE.
- We are effectively being double charged.
- Cork supporters are being particularly exploited, due to being the biggest commercial draw.
- An attitude of 'meh', it's only €12 a game is why this country is such a rip-off. We, the consumer, get ripped-off and exploited for absolutely everything. Hotels, groceries, alcohol, fuel, cars, mortgage fees, houses. I can go on and on. You name it, we pay more than the vast majority of the rest of the world in Ireland for the same product/service. Why, because we all act individually and just say 'meh' I'll pay it whatever the cost. Rather than collectively taking a stance and saying no, I won't pay it. Look what was achieved when we actually did this, for water charges.
- Most importantly, the future of the game of hurling is in a precarious place. Is is part of our national heritage and needs to be preserved by all means possible. It is slowly dying and contracting to all but a few counties. Even in Cork the game is slowly dying a death in once traditional hurling heartlands. (Look at the northside). The game needs to be promoted at all levels, country-wide. Or in 100 years we won;t have much of a game left. It will become some niche past-time like Shinty in Scotland.
How is sticking the game behind a paywall addressing any of the above? There are 6 or 7 terrestrial tv channels. Another load of internet channels. The argument that RTE can't show all games, and therefore have to charge for them, is nonsense. There are plenty of other channels that would happily show some of the games for free if they were given the opportunity. Funding, if needed, should be made available from license-fee and/or GAA, government, advertising, as an acceptable cost incurred with preserving one of the most integral parts of our Gaelic culture.
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