Sports stars all around the world from individual to team sports have influenced nations in many different ways. From increasing the participation in physical activity to increasing the economies income due to popular demand of an event or sporting interest. In Ireland, our obesity levels are at an all-time high and things don’t seem to be getting much better with the current implications in place. With a higher obesity level than America, we are desperately looking for other measures in which we can encourage our nation to get active. Alongside this danger area, we have a nation that is lacking governmental confidence and leadership while we seek elsewhere for motivation to do well such as towards our heroes and sporting idols. Hence, should athletes be used more and more to promote these areas for the benefit of their nations?
Should elite athletes be allowed to speak their mind and support controversial issues close to them?26/10/2017 Athletes have had a strong history of standing up for what they believe in, whether that went against the norm or not. Peter O’ Connor, who went to the 1906 Olympics as part of a three man independent Irish team won two medals; gold and silver, and as he was about to be presented with his medals, he bolted towards the flag pole which he climbed and raised an Irish flag. This was a man standing up for his beliefs 10 years before the 1916 rising. The history of sport is littered with sports figures defying authorities and standing up for their beliefs. Media has helped us document many of these important moments. Peter O’ Connor started this but many others followed suit.
In the last few weeks I have received friend requests on Facebook from 10 and 11 year old girls. Facebook users are getting younger by the day and this is not good. It is scary to say the world we live in now is almost run by social media and technology. Before social media was seen as a slight distraction to pass time but now social media is turning into a major addiction. We are living in a judgmental society were people are judged and branded as “freaks” for not being on a social media sites. Below shows the dramatic evolution of how social media is continuing to escalate.
What started off as a community based organisation, has now developed into a money making racket!
The GAA, once known for its pride and passion has become a dictatorship where player’s welfare is abused in order to generate more revenue for the back pockets of the people on the hierarchy scale of the GAA. This year’s controversial topic of the super 8's has led to a clear disconnection between the players and the congress. The question to be answered is why was the super 8's really brought in? Increased competition or increased revenue? For those not familiar with the super 8's, it involves restructuring the All-Ireland senior football championship for the year 2018. The new format for now is only temporary and is being used as an experiment for the next 3 years. The super 8's will involve eight teams divided into two groups of four for the quarter final stage. Group 1 will consist of the Munster provincial winner, Connacht provincial winner and Ulster and Leinster runner up’s. Group 2 will involve the Ulster provincial winner, Leinster provincial winner and the Munster and Connacht runner up’s. The teams will play three games each before the top two in each group progress to the All-Ireland semi-final. Following this, the biggest event in the GAA will be the All-Ireland Football Final. Evidently, there are many professional European Tour golfers opting to make their living by playing on the PGA Tour in America. Hence, America hosts an abundance of famous golfing events which include three out of the four majors every year. Many top European professionals have desired to move to the United States in order to fulfil their goals in the infamous sport. These golfers include:
Staring, pointing and laughing are just some of many things in which I face every day; it’s not just a simple ‘walk in the park’. Standing at 119cm, almost 3ft 11; I was born with the condition called achondroplasia (oh yes, it’s a mouthful, that’s for sure) but it’s just one of two hundred types of dwarfism which exist in the world today. I was born to average height parents. You did hear right; my parents are both of average height and so is my sister which makes me come to the conclusion that I am the unique one in my family or so I like to think. 80% of children born with achondroplasia are born to average height parents. Does it make me different in the fact that I’m the only person lacking a little height in my family? Of course not, my parents treat me just like my older sister; no different or no special treatment just because I’m a little bit smaller.
‘We are people with all the hopes, dreams, passions and faults of everyone else. Eighty percent of us are born into families with no history of dwarfism’ – Billy Barty.
Although I have never played Senior Hurling Championship with my club, I am deeply involved with the organization both playing and refereeing. The reason I wrote this blog is to highlight the imbalance of the fixture planning in the club championship in Waterford and most likely other parts of the country.
All is rosy, Waterford has qualified for their second All Ireland Hurling final in nearly 60 years. The county is on a high; suddenly there is a buzz around, people young and old can put problems to one side because everyone rows in behind the team. People try every avenue possible to get their hands on a ticket for the eagerly anticipated All Ireland Hurling final between Waterford and Galway, A novel pairing. Yes, it is fantastic that Waterford has got to the final but underneath, the 12 Senior Clubs in Waterford have played a total of 2 championship games dating back to the 23rd of April. So, my club team Passage have trained all summer with no competitive game of note. Although we beat local rivals Ballygunner in a Sargent Cup Final, it’s not the same as championship action. As a member of the Passage panel said to me that" it was awkward to win the competition because it had no significant purpose.
If you went to google right now and searched the words “Funding in the GAA” you would hardly even be surprised with what results you will find.
Dublin! Dublin, Dublin, Dublin.
I bet you went and searched didn’t you!
So, what is it? What is it about Dublin GAA that has everyone so wound up? What are the key facts that seem to set doubt upon our ability to trust Dublin’s “over-exaggerated” chunk of funding. What do they spend it on? What do they need more than the rest of us?
35 years ago, Group B rally cars, often named the "Formula 1 in the forests", was introduced in 1982 with only a few restrictions allowing them to have unlimited power dominating the World Rally Championship landscape and attracting motorsport fans all over the world. Manufactures only had to produce 200 examples to meet homologation requirements. With lenient restrictions and rapid advances, Group B took motorsport to the absolute edge of performance, creating ferocious boosted beasts, beyond common sense and reasonable safety levels. Group B pushed the envelope of race engineering.
Sadly in 1986, the Fédération Internationale Du Sport Automobile (FISA), or the International Automobile Racing Federation, the governing body at the time, following a series of terrifying accidents, Group B was ended, a golden era gone for good. Group B had a dark side, with the fatal accidents in 1986 resulting in spectator and driver facilities claiming the lives of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresta at Corsica in Rally Portugal. In years since, the homologation versions of these engineering astonishments have gone from solely nostalgic to sought-after collectable classics with increasing interest and prices to match. In no particular order, here are just a few of my favourite speed monsters that took rallying by storm. “This isn’t a woman’s game, get up off the floor you p****”
This was what I was exposed to one Sunday morning during a game with my local soccer club. Since I’ve had the experience of working with one of the finest women’s teams in the country, I was quick to jump and defend the women’s game in Ireland. Being the 21st century and all that, it’s hard to believe that these sorts of comments are still circulating in the sporting world. As mentioned above, I had the honour of working with Wexford Youths Women for just over a year.
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