Ireland's biggest sporting embarrassment?

Realt Dearg Sec

Grand Moff Tarkin wrote: »

Still banned from playing international basketball due to the fact we paid a load of college Irish Americans to come over and play during the Celtic Tiger era. When the money should have went to developing the game in the country. Of course there was years of mis management in the association before Bernard came on board. There are a few people who made plenty of money who are long gone.

Jesus I never hard anything about us being banned from international basketball. Surely that's a bigger national embarrassment than a few gob****es getting into a gaa field? That's an Olympic sport, and we're banned from it? ****ing hell.

Optimalprimerib

lucernarian wrote: »

Its not a national issue as such but I've never been to a paid admission GAA match since the Leinster SFC final of 2010. And I went to league as well as championship intercounty matches in the years previous (at least when college or work weren't glaring issues).

That day was an embarrassment to the GAA for all sorts of reasons, the conduct of the players and fans on both sides to make a rivalry more important than life or death. Never mind referees actually using their eyes and not awarding a goal even the umpires didn't want to flag or giving the right, I.e. red card to a certain Louth player who took out a Meath player near the end of the match.

I can never shake the image of a bunch of knuckledraggers that I saw that day. GAA disgraced itself as a sport.

As a Meath man, this is the winner. I'm at a loss to what should have happened as we needed a point to draw the game but got the goal as illegally as it is possible.

If only Seamus Kenny popped the ball over the bar instead of going for goal...

Clearlier

efb wrote: »

Surely the Irish (Swiss) head of cycling guy? Neck like a jockeys b`````ks

Pat McQuaid. Good call. I was embarrassed that he was at the head of cycling when he was.

Grand Moff Tarkin

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Jesus I never hard anything about us being banned from international basketball. Surely that's a bigger national embarrassment than a few gob****es getting into a gaa field? That's an Olympic sport, and we're banned from it? ****ing hell.

Sorry basketball Ireland are not eligible for any sporting grants as the money which should have went to grassroots from the grants of the Celtic Tiger era was used to pay the Irish American college players who came over and played for the country.

That is an even bigger embarrassment.

The_Captain

It's sad how quick Irish people are at tearing down Michelle Smith.

She single handed won more gold medals in the Olympics than the rest of the country combined for the last 100 years.

Over in the UK, Phillip Hindes deliberately crashes his bike and admits cheating. Wins a gold medal, no investigation, national hero

Dwain Chambers is at the top level of athetics over there, no national embarrassment or shame about him at all

In the US, Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton were defended to the hilt until they came out and finally admitted doping.

I always feel we're so quick to hang Michelle Smith because of the big media campaign against her in the US after her wins.

iDave

The_Captain wrote: »

It's sad how quick Irish people are at tearing down Michelle Smith.

She single handed won more gold medals in the Olympics than the rest of the country combined for the last 100 years.

Over in the UK, Phillip Hindes deliberately crashes his bike and admits cheating. Wins a gold medal, no investigation, national hero

Dwain Chambers is at the top level of athetics over there, no national embarrassment or shame about him at all

In the US, Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton were defended to the hilt until they came out and finally admitted doping.

I always feel we're so quick to hang Michelle Smith because of the big media campaign against her in the US after her wins.

Maradonna is a hero in his homeland even though he blatantly cheated and got done at a World Cup for being on cocaine. The eyes after the goal against Greece!!!

osarusan

The_Captain wrote: »

I always feel we're so quick to hang Michelle Smith because of the big media campaign against her in the US after her wins.

I think people are quick to hang her because of her whiskey-laced urine test, which they see as confirmation of her drug use.

When I say 'people' and 'they', I include myself in that, definitely.

I don't think it's embarrassing to not be proud of a cheat - the embarrassment lies with those who celebrate known cheats.

Clearlier

The_Captain wrote: »

It's sad how quick Irish people are at tearing down Michelle Smith.

She single handed won more gold medals in the Olympics than the rest of the country combined for the last 100 years.

Over in the UK, Phillip Hindes deliberately crashes his bike and admits cheating. Wins a gold medal, no investigation, national hero

Dwain Chambers is at the top level of athetics over there, no national embarrassment or shame about him at all

In the US, Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton were defended to the hilt until they came out and finally admitted doping.

I always feel we're so quick to hang Michelle Smith because of the big media campaign against her in the US after her wins.

It's sad how long it took for us to question Michelle Smith. There was just one journalist in Ireland seriously asking questions in the aftermath of the Olymipcs and it was only after she was caught tampering with her sample that opinion on her changed.

In contrast we can be proud of Kimmage and Walsh's contributions to the unmasking of doping in cycling. There were plenty of American's asking questions about Armstrong and it was in fact an American organisation (USADA) which finally forced him to admit to doping.

I live in the UK and am in a running club here. I can assure that there's plenty of embarrassment and shame about Chambers in the UK.

Chris Hoy is a national hero. Philip Hindes is virtually unknown.

Realt Dearg Sec

Grand Moff Tarkin wrote: »

Sorry basketball Ireland are not eligible for any sporting grants as the money which should have went to grassroots from the grants of the Celtic Tiger era was used to pay the Irish American college players who came over and played for the country.

That is an even bigger embarrassment.

Sounds like it's all part of one big ball of embarrassment.

Pherekydes

The_Captain wrote: »

It's sad how quick Irish people are at tearing down Michelle Smith.

She single handed won more gold medals in the Olympics than the rest of the country combined for the last 100 years.

Not true!

We've won at least six gold medals, in sports other than swimming, since 1928 (incl).

flutered

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Sounds like it's all part of one big ball of embarrassment.

to my knowlage the clubs had to pay the us guys out of their own pocket, the money they recieved was not great, as they used to get part time jobs to supplement their income,
the iba at one stage hired an aussie guy to improve the fitness of players, his first camp was in ucc, he arrived two hours late, he drove down from dublin by motorbike, dis not allow enough time, also he got lost somewhere on the way down, i was there that day, good enough for the embarresment fourm on its own

Magico Gonzalez

We should be proud of a cheater?

No thanks.

The_Captain

osarusan wrote: »

I think people are quick to hang her because of her whiskey-laced urine test, which they see as confirmation of her drug use.

When I say 'people' and 'they', I include myself in that, definitely.

I don't think it's embarrassing to not be proud of a cheat - the embarrassment lies with those who celebrate known cheats.

There's never been any proof that her gold medals were the result of cheating.
The sample tampering came later and had no implications on her Olympic performances.

Realt Dearg Sec

The_Captain wrote: »

There's never been any proof that her gold medals were the result of cheating.
The sample tampering came later and had no implications on her Olympic performances.

You believe she was clean then? A career journeywoman, on the downturn in her career, suddenly not only defies biology by improving her times when they should be declining, but is suddenly by a country mile better than all of her competitors, after having become romantically involved with a confirmed cheat, and is later found guilty of sample tampering herself.

I have a feeling you aren't the best person to have around when buying a used car.

osarusan

The_Captain wrote: »

There's never been any proof that her gold medals were the result of cheating.
The sample tampering came later and had no implications on her Olympic performances.

All this is correct. There is no proof.

But people will see implications in the sample tampering, and some people will connect it to her extraordinarily unlikely Olympic success.

I know I do.

Dog of Tears

The_Captain wrote: »

There's never been any proof that her gold medals were the result of cheating.
The sample tampering came later and had no implications on her Olympic performances.

You probably think Gerry Adams was never in the IRA.

buck65

The_Captain wrote: »

There's never been any proof that her gold medals were the result of cheating.
The sample tampering came later and had no implications on her Olympic performances.

Best joke you ever heard thread is thataway...

Baggy Trousers

The_Captain wrote: »

There's never been any proof that her gold medals were the result of cheating.
The sample tampering came later and had no implications on her Olympic performances.

She didn't get caught during the Olympics but she was most certainly doing drugs. Everybody connected with swimming knows this...even Michelle.

byrneg28

Baggy Trousers wrote: »

She didn't get caught during the Olympics but she was most certainly doing drugs. Everybody connected with swimming knows this...even Michelle.

It's like Gerry Adams still denying he was ever part of the IRA

Baggy Trousers

byrneg28 wrote: »

It's like Gerry Adams still denying he was ever part of the IRA

Not really no.

Duiske

Dog of Tears wrote: »

You probably think Gerry Adams was never in the IRA.

byrneg28 wrote: »

It's like Gerry Adams still denying he was ever part of the IRA

Jaysus folks, I know the plan is to keep the "message" fresh in peoples minds, but surely ye could find a more appropriate thread than one about sport.

byrneg28

Duiske wrote: »

Jaysus folks, I know the plan is to keep the "message" fresh in peoples minds, but surely ye could find a more appropriate thread than one about sport.

But this is the After Hours section

'What is After Hours?
After hours is the place to come on boards where general discussion can be light-hearted. The aim here is to have a bit of a laugh, a bit of a chat and not to piss anybody off while doing so.

This forum has been variously described as a refuge for idiots, the dregs of boards.ie, the best forum on boards and the only forum on boards. As such you may find After Hours quite different to any other boards.ie forums. What's OK here may not fly elsewhere on boards. '

Have I peeved you off with my comment? If so I'm sorry!