THE BOOK IS entitled ‘More Than A Game’ but for author Michael Moynihan, it’s the subtitle that tells the readers what the pages are about.
Moynihan, an associate editor with the Irish Examiner, wanted to write about the GAA and the direction the organisation is trending towards.
A broad subject certainly, but Moynihan has explored this topic before. He wrote ‘GAAconomics’ in 2013, but when a sequel was suggested to him for its 10-year anniversary, he was reluctant.
“That would really be me ringing a load of people up and saying, ‘Hey, you were wrong 10 years ago, would you care to explain?’” he begins in conversation with The 42.
Instead, he opted to revisit some of the themes from that book, particularly the financial aspect of the GAA in today’s climate. And then he started considering the questions that could help form a structure for his new book.
The work that followed has culminated in the six chapters which make up ‘More Than A Game.’ Each chapter is broken up into sub-sections with Moynihan conducting over 30 interviews to illuminate the book with insights from experts. Not everyone he approached wanted to be named in the book, but they did welcome his sense of curiosity and encouraged him to ask pertinent questions.
Michael Moynihan / Gill Books
Michael Moynihan / Gill Books / Gill Books
Is the GAA elite sport? Is it participation in clubs? Is it a media content provider? Or is it a facilities company? Or is it all these things that intersect?
“I suppose there was a kind of an irony with more than a game, because the GAA is well able to wrap itself in exceptionalism when it suits, and then when it doesn’t suit, you have the whole ‘These lads have to get up for work in the morning.’ So more than a game is a statement of fact, because in a lot of places, there’s a kind of community aspect, etc.
“There’s also a kind of a question to that: ‘Is it more than a game? Can it be more than a game? Should it be even?’”
Advertisement
Moynihan points to a section in his book about character references in the GAA which addresses these questions. Under the title ‘An End To References’, Moynihan writes about the moral quandary involved in providing references for court cases where a serious crime has been committed.
Moynihan doesn’t agree with someone’s GAA links being used in this way, but says there are other nuances involved too.
“There is an argument that if you are a community organisation, that’s what you sign up for.
“You did say you were more than a game, more than a community organisation. So this is the taking the rough with the smooth.”
Croke Park. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
The fifth chapter of the book focuses on facilities in the GAA and is divided into four sections. In the second section, ‘Build It And They Will Come,’ Moynihan observes that there are too many GAA stadiums in Ireland, which in turn, leads to cost issues and maintenance problems.
Some counties have more than one ground where the senior teams play, he says, giving examples such as Waterford, Clare and Cork.
“You’d be kind of saying, ‘If you were brave, would you get rid of one of them?’
“Sell it, make some money and upgrade your other small stadium to a really nice boutique, as opposed to two not that great experiences. I think Cork is a classic case because there’s a part of my brain that still thinks the only way they’ll ever get out from under is by selling Páirc Uí Rinn to help pay off the debt on Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
“But a great point that a lot of the lads in Croke Park made was that stadiums are going to be loss-making ventures. Apart from Croke Park, they can’t really make money. They’re basically just there. And fair enough, you might have the odd concert or monster truck show or whatever you’re having yourself, but really, you can’t really make money from them.”
The disconnect between the GAA and the media is an ongoing problem which Moynihan writes about in chapter four. A consequence of that fractured dynamic is an unwillingness from players to speak authentically in interview situations. There have been some exceptions in recent years which Moynihan notes in the book. One such example is Clare hurler Shane O’Donnell who publicly objected to the use of his image on the GAAGO website as he did not want to be seen as endorsing the subscription-based streaming service.
Moynihan says that O’Donnell is a great example of a player speaking out about something that would receive widespread support. He believes the next phase of softening relations between the GAA and the media is creating an environment where players can articulate beliefs that are less popular.
Clare hurler Shane O'Donnell. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“And that’s what happens when you let people speak.
“They’ll say things that are interesting, but you won’t always agree with them. What you’re seeing [right now] is not their true authentic selves. My ultimate thing is that these guys are professing to be professional in every way, and rank amateurs when it comes to dealing with the media.”
Despite the heavy content, Moynihan has found that there is an audience for books that takes the reader behind the curtain of a sport. Plenty of people want to know how the sausage is made. And it’s not all figures, percentages and fixating on the nitty gritty. Moynihan uses his creative license to delve into the material at times too.
The matter of GAA managers receiving payments in an amateur sport is something we can still only acknowledge anecdotally. Moynihan leans into that when he describes the dialogue of a fake phone call between two people about a coaching vacancy in a local club team. Moynihan is an editor on the news side of things these days, but it’s his experience as a GAA journalist that helps him construct that imagined conversation. A small hit of satire to illustrate the seriousness of the problem.
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“There has been a lot of discussion about the payment for managers thing, but no-one has pushed back and said, ‘You’re exaggerating or that’s not true.’ In fact, most people have said you’re underestimating it.
“When the GAA itself is acknowledging that it has a massive issue with it and there’s so much money going around and you’re safe enough in your presumption. Plus, the conversation I reported is a fairly verbatim account that was given to me by one of the participants. But obviously, I wasn’t going to hang him out to dry.”
By the time they turn the final page, Moynihan hopes that the reader agrees with the title and accepts that Gaelic Games are indeed more than a game. The GAA prides itself on being a unique sports organisation but he worries that it could lose its place in society if the worrying trends he has highlighted are not corrected.
“The GAA is something that people are emotional about. If it’s not something that’s more than a game, then you’ve got to ask, ‘Well, what is it about?’ If it’s not about keeping everything going and preserving it for another generation, then what are we at and where are we going?
“That’s why I ended it with the lads from West Cork saying, ‘We have our challenges but we’re happy that we can meet those challenges and keep the club alive. We’ll never be beaten.’”
‘More Than A Game’ by Michael Moynihan is published through Gill Books and is available to purchase now
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'If it's not more than a game then what is it about?' - a GAA book that goes behind the curtain
THE BOOK IS entitled ‘More Than A Game’ but for author Michael Moynihan, it’s the subtitle that tells the readers what the pages are about.
Moynihan, an associate editor with the Irish Examiner, wanted to write about the GAA and the direction the organisation is trending towards.
A broad subject certainly, but Moynihan has explored this topic before. He wrote ‘GAAconomics’ in 2013, but when a sequel was suggested to him for its 10-year anniversary, he was reluctant.
“That would really be me ringing a load of people up and saying, ‘Hey, you were wrong 10 years ago, would you care to explain?’” he begins in conversation with The 42.
Instead, he opted to revisit some of the themes from that book, particularly the financial aspect of the GAA in today’s climate. And then he started considering the questions that could help form a structure for his new book.
The work that followed has culminated in the six chapters which make up ‘More Than A Game.’ Each chapter is broken up into sub-sections with Moynihan conducting over 30 interviews to illuminate the book with insights from experts. Not everyone he approached wanted to be named in the book, but they did welcome his sense of curiosity and encouraged him to ask pertinent questions.
Is the GAA elite sport? Is it participation in clubs? Is it a media content provider? Or is it a facilities company? Or is it all these things that intersect?
“I suppose there was a kind of an irony with more than a game, because the GAA is well able to wrap itself in exceptionalism when it suits, and then when it doesn’t suit, you have the whole ‘These lads have to get up for work in the morning.’ So more than a game is a statement of fact, because in a lot of places, there’s a kind of community aspect, etc.
“There’s also a kind of a question to that: ‘Is it more than a game? Can it be more than a game? Should it be even?’”
Moynihan points to a section in his book about character references in the GAA which addresses these questions. Under the title ‘An End To References’, Moynihan writes about the moral quandary involved in providing references for court cases where a serious crime has been committed.
Moynihan doesn’t agree with someone’s GAA links being used in this way, but says there are other nuances involved too.
“There is an argument that if you are a community organisation, that’s what you sign up for.
“You did say you were more than a game, more than a community organisation. So this is the taking the rough with the smooth.”
The fifth chapter of the book focuses on facilities in the GAA and is divided into four sections. In the second section, ‘Build It And They Will Come,’ Moynihan observes that there are too many GAA stadiums in Ireland, which in turn, leads to cost issues and maintenance problems.
Some counties have more than one ground where the senior teams play, he says, giving examples such as Waterford, Clare and Cork.
“You’d be kind of saying, ‘If you were brave, would you get rid of one of them?’
“Sell it, make some money and upgrade your other small stadium to a really nice boutique, as opposed to two not that great experiences. I think Cork is a classic case because there’s a part of my brain that still thinks the only way they’ll ever get out from under is by selling Páirc Uí Rinn to help pay off the debt on Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
“But a great point that a lot of the lads in Croke Park made was that stadiums are going to be loss-making ventures. Apart from Croke Park, they can’t really make money. They’re basically just there. And fair enough, you might have the odd concert or monster truck show or whatever you’re having yourself, but really, you can’t really make money from them.”
The disconnect between the GAA and the media is an ongoing problem which Moynihan writes about in chapter four. A consequence of that fractured dynamic is an unwillingness from players to speak authentically in interview situations. There have been some exceptions in recent years which Moynihan notes in the book. One such example is Clare hurler Shane O’Donnell who publicly objected to the use of his image on the GAAGO website as he did not want to be seen as endorsing the subscription-based streaming service.
Moynihan says that O’Donnell is a great example of a player speaking out about something that would receive widespread support. He believes the next phase of softening relations between the GAA and the media is creating an environment where players can articulate beliefs that are less popular.
“And that’s what happens when you let people speak.
“They’ll say things that are interesting, but you won’t always agree with them. What you’re seeing [right now] is not their true authentic selves. My ultimate thing is that these guys are professing to be professional in every way, and rank amateurs when it comes to dealing with the media.”
Despite the heavy content, Moynihan has found that there is an audience for books that takes the reader behind the curtain of a sport. Plenty of people want to know how the sausage is made. And it’s not all figures, percentages and fixating on the nitty gritty. Moynihan uses his creative license to delve into the material at times too.
The matter of GAA managers receiving payments in an amateur sport is something we can still only acknowledge anecdotally. Moynihan leans into that when he describes the dialogue of a fake phone call between two people about a coaching vacancy in a local club team. Moynihan is an editor on the news side of things these days, but it’s his experience as a GAA journalist that helps him construct that imagined conversation. A small hit of satire to illustrate the seriousness of the problem.
“There has been a lot of discussion about the payment for managers thing, but no-one has pushed back and said, ‘You’re exaggerating or that’s not true.’ In fact, most people have said you’re underestimating it.
“When the GAA itself is acknowledging that it has a massive issue with it and there’s so much money going around and you’re safe enough in your presumption. Plus, the conversation I reported is a fairly verbatim account that was given to me by one of the participants. But obviously, I wasn’t going to hang him out to dry.”
By the time they turn the final page, Moynihan hopes that the reader agrees with the title and accepts that Gaelic Games are indeed more than a game. The GAA prides itself on being a unique sports organisation but he worries that it could lose its place in society if the worrying trends he has highlighted are not corrected.
“The GAA is something that people are emotional about. If it’s not something that’s more than a game, then you’ve got to ask, ‘Well, what is it about?’ If it’s not about keeping everything going and preserving it for another generation, then what are we at and where are we going?
‘More Than A Game’ by Michael Moynihan is published through Gill Books and is available to purchase now
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Camogie critical thinking GAA GAA Book Gaelic Football Hurling Ladies Football Michael Moynihan more than a game Sporstbook