THIS week, in a return to more opinionated pieces, I have a suggestion. A small suggestion, but one that I think might just work.
If you are wondering where the Baseball logo comes in and what it has to do with the GAA, then bear with me.
Some years ago, the Major League Baseball association in America had trouble attracting stars to it’s mid season All Star game. The All Star weekend was an institution, but became less important to some players when the boom came in.
The players that did turn up seemed more interested in pushing products than winning the game. So. The MLB decided to make the All Star game more interesting. The game is played between the American League and the National League. The winners of the All Star game are rewarded with home advantage in that seasons play-offs. Now the game is hotly contested and it means something. The winners see the benefit of playing in it and of course winning it.
Where do the GAA come in? Well, the Interpro’s are the forgotten child of the GAA. Just played for the sake of playing it. Some players only turning up for the gear. My idea is that the winners of the inter pros, (To be played after the league and before the championship) would secure home advantage in all championship qualifier rounds. (Flipping for home advantage should two meet)
This would mean that if Munster won the inter pros, then Limerick, Clare etc would have an advantage over the bigger counties should they face them in the backdoor route.
Would it not be better for the GAA and fans to see Limerick footballers take on Dublin in the Gaelic Grounds rather than an empty Croke Park. Ties such as Clare at home in Ennis to Galway? Whatever about being better would it be fair?
Or, as we all think, does money really rule?
