THE furore over the lack of TV coverage to see Cork’s hurlers keep their season alive into the second week in May has been an irony-free zone.
You could pay a fiver at the gate to watch your mate play a Junior B final.
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But the GAA has seemingly forgotten who they are by not having a game available for free on television . . .
Or politicians throwing in their two cents overlooking how the broadcast money is so badly needed to fund sport — all sports — in a country where State backing is half the EU average.
Hearing the hurling mafia moan has also been amusing as they sound so much like the old League of Ireland arguments.
The LOI used to play the ‘Irish’ card too — remember ‘Real Football, Real Fans’ — and would bemoan the lack of coverage.
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Tomorrow’s RTÉ2 schedule should ease the paranoia of the hurling fans, while LOI is more comfortable in its own skin since the sold-out signs have become normal.
That has been done despite every game being available somewhere, whether on LOITV — which has been a game-changing addition — or the 32 men’s games broadcast free to air.
We are now a long way away from when clubs would ask not to be on television because it meant a lower gate, though there is still no additional money for clubs that are on the box.
And this Thursday’s game between Waterford and Drogheda United on Virgin is an interesting test case for all in the league who are keen to change that.
While the league has grown, it continues to have more of a cult following on RTÉ and Virgin, though many fans would argue that will take time to change.
In particular, it needs a time slot set in stone, much like I know to turn on RTÉ2 on Tuesdays for the Champions League and Virgin on Wednesdays.
That it is not every Friday is an issue, as is the slot where the people most likely to tweet up a storm and get fair-weather fans to watch are either at matches themselves or watching on LOITV.
Virgin have experimented with Monday night games though they were either on bank holidays when fans were coming home from their own ties or clashed with other fixtures.
But Thursday’s Waterford-Drogs showdown will be the first time we get a one-off game with no distractions.
It may not match the box-office appeal of Stephen Kenny versus Damien Duff on Monday as rivals St Pat’s and Shelbourne meet in Dublin 8.
But there is nothing else on Thursday unless you fancy Saudi Arabian football on DAZN or have a dodgy box to watch the Turkish Cup final.
There have been attempts before with RTÉ doing Sunday afternoon games and Setanta tried Saturday evenings — though neither were regular broadcasts.
Whether Thursday night is the answer to that — Euro action means the LOI hope it will be otherwise engaged for 14 Thursdays between July and November — is doubtful.
But a regular time slot for a stand-alone game can make all the difference.
And this Thursday’s match is the first chance to see it in action.