IN the week just gone, sport in this country took a back seat to reality TV. Have things gone that bad? The answer is yes. National talk radio shows on Friday were inundated with calls and texts regarding the clash of X Factor and the Irish national soccer teams fight for World Cup qualification. Have we, as a nation, sunk this low.
When qualifying for previous World Cups, 1990, 1994,2002, Ireland came to a stand still to watch our heroes. Names such as Aldridge, Mc Grath, Bonner, Whelan and Houghton still roll off the tongue and evoke memories of a time when our little rock off the west coast of Europe made the World stand up and take notice. We were never World beaters, but we did punch above our weight.
Now though, names such as Danyl, Stacey, Olly and John and Edward dominate our Saturday nights. The nation chose their favourite and their favourite was not the national team. In the current recession, entertainment is key. Sitting at home on a Saturday night is hard enough without having to watch over paid players on television. Surely though national pride should take over at some point. Is it a case now that the gap between professional sports and the man on the couch is widening even further. Do we watch X Factor and Dancing on Ice and the Apprentice because we think that we have a better chance of making it there than on the soccer/rugby/hurling pitches. Do the professional players’ wages make them hard to watch? Is there is a sporting deficit? Knowing that these guys earn four to five times our yearly wage in one week is sticking in our throats. The days are gone when all young players aspired to be on Match of the Day and the Sunday game. Green areas around Ireland used to be filled years ago with kids looking to emulate Ciaran Carey, DJ Carey and Eric Cantona. Nowadays kids sing into hairbrushes trying to look for that “factor”. The TV/Video game versus Sport debate in kids has raged for years. It appears now though that TV is winning over sport in all age categories. The reasons for watching are multiple. The winners are yet to known. The loser is sport.
