Search icon

GAA

23rd Jul 2017

Conor McGregor stars in RTÉ montage for Wexford v Waterford

And nobody knows why

Conan Doherty

Some things don’t need hype.

Some things don’t need Conor McGregor either – and those things are Wexford v Waterford.

If we love to do one thing as hurling fans is that we absolutely adore rubbing hurling in the faces of the rest of the world – even when most of them aren’t even looking. We’re great, do you know that?

We do it for nothing too.

Well, RTÉ might well be famed for their stirring montages previewing the biggest soccer, rugby and GAA events that garner rabble-rousing interest from the entire nation but, sometimes, even the best go too far.

Wexford v Waterford doesn’t need to stoop this low – perhaps they’ll argue that that is precisely the message but using Conor McGregor in the build-up video to show the difference between the hype of that boxing fight and the purity of the hurling is almost like those journalists who complain about having to talk about McGregor/Mayweather… and then proceed to talk about them anyway.

Ahead of the All-Ireland hurling quarter-final, Conor McGregor starred in Wexford v Waterford preview. Genuinely.

Maybe you don’t need four press conferences to build up to a clinker game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh but when you have Derek McGrath and Davy Fitzgerald at the head of two counties going into a do-or-die clash, maybe you don’t need to poke fun at another sport in the process of building up to it.

Especially when everyone will be clamouring for the rights in a month’s time.

The hurling is great on its best days – everyone knows that. But ridiculous comparisons like this are exactly what turn people away from it.

Perhaps it is something to be proud of – even snotty about. Don’t think that level of self-righteousness won’t make the sport more of a target from the outside though.

Even Conor McGregor likes the GAA.

LISTEN: The GAA Hour – Klopp in Croker, flop in Kildare and the ‘worst fans’ award?