Should GAA be professional

Answer 1

No, it is not professional. Gaelic Football and Hurling are amateur sports, so players do not get paid. This actually makes the sports better, as players are playing for the love of the game, for their teammates, for their home town or county, for their family and friends, and for their team's supporters. These are all far better reasons and incentives to play than any payment could ever be.

When everyone first plays a sport we do it purely for the fun, and that is when it is most enjoyable and when we play best. Professionalism actually destroys many sports. The vast majority of GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) players play for the same teams for all of their playing career. They have a sense of belonging to that team and the wider community. A professional sports person who plays for many teams during their career can never have that connection. Only when they compete for their country do they come anyway close to that.

GAA players get expenses for things like travelling to training and they get well looked after in other ways. To pay them to play would destroy the game, as it has done for many sports. Payment removes all the incentives I listed, and nothing can motivate a player like those do. If you've ever seen Gaelic Football and Hurling, you'll see how much passion they play with, far more than most professionals do. Check out YouTube for videos if you haven't.

Answer 2

No, for lots of reasons. Players play for the love of the sport and of their friends and community. That is a far greater driving force to play than for money. Professionalism would ruin the whole heart and spirit of the game. The GAA is the largest amateur sporting organisation in the world, so it would not be possible to pay everyone should it become professional. Most people do not want it to be professional. Many players are professional in that they already have jobs and careers and very few would want to play sport professionally. For these and other reasons, the GAA should stay amateur.