Things got pretty messy in the AIG Fenway Classic in Boston last night, and the American audience loved it.
Galway beat Dublin in an exhibition match for the Hurling 11’s developed and promoted by the Gaelic Players Association as part of a broader remit to bring the GAA and its players to a wider international audience.
There was plenty of skill on show but the tight confines of a pitch only 70% the size of a regular GAA ground meant that there was a lot of frantic action as well and that boiled over in the second quarter into a mass brawl between the players.
This was what set social media channels alight with a few stereotypes about fighting Irish being thrown around as much as the punches.
Shemozzle and a half there. #AIGFenwayHurling @unofficialgaa pic.twitter.com/pDbbSkzHmA
— Marcas Ó Callanáin (@MOCallanain) November 22, 2015
It’s not easy to create something new though at the same time it’s not impossible. The X Games was a shot in the dark for ESPN when that was first developed and has now grown into a major franchise and seen the growth and adaptation of many more youth style sports such as skateboarding into full fledged Olympic sports.
This adventure was well backed by AIG and Aer Lingus. It was played out in front of a crowd of 25,000 and the live TV coverage from TG4 brought its rough and ready charms to the home audience as well, sparking thought and conversation as well.
Coming as it did on the same weekend as the International Rules match at Croke Park played before nearly 40,000, following on from the Shinty International, it has given plenty more food for thought in how the GAA and Gaelic Games might be taken to a wider international audience.
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