It’s Galway Races week, so on this week’s episode Sinéad and Gavin dive into the Irish State funding of horse racing. They present the figures which show horse racing earns multiples more of taxpayer’s money than any other sport, ask if this is fair, and explain how this is justified by our politicians: that horse racing is not a sport, but an industry. They then interrogate that claim, and find that they are far from alone in being sceptical of it.

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On this week's episode, Sinéad and Gavin look back on a shocking All-Ireland final collapse by Cork. Did they choke? And why is there such stigma attached to calling sportspeople chokers? They explain what it means to choke, and why it happens. They also discuss whether the importance of sports psychology and mental performance in sport is underrated, and whether Cork can ever recover from their Tipperary calamity.

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On this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin look at the recent developments in the case of George Gibney, former swim coach and subject of the 2020 Second Captains/BBC podcast Where is George Gibney?

As we await the 77-year-old's return to Ireland after decades on the run following allegations of sexual abuse, Sinead brings us up-to-date on what happened in the Florida court last week where Gibney appeared in prison-issue clothing and consented to extradition.

Gav asks why The Journal thought it was important enough to send a reporter to an 11-minute hearing, and we talk about how this is also a story of journalism and the potential impact of doing it the right way.

Get in touch - [email protected] and [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a bonus episode of The 42FM, with Gavan Casey joining Gavin Cooney live from NYC ahead of Katie Taylor’s third battle with Amanda Serrano. This time they are the headline act at Madison Square Garden, without the accompanying circus of Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson. We explain why Taylor and Serrano have now been utterly vindicated in their decision to lend their credibility to the Tyson/Paul circus, and then Gavan previews the fight. What does this event stay about both boxers’ standing, and how will affect their legacy? Could defeat blemish Taylor’s career at all? Plus, fighting in the month she turned 39, could this be Katie’s final professional bout, and the final act of an extraordinary career?

The fight is live on Netflix, with Taylor/Serrano due to get underway in the early hours of Saturday morning, at approx. 3.30am.

Get in touch - [email protected], and [email protected]

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On this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin look back at the extraordinary fall from grace of DJ Carey. They contextualise his greatness as a sportsperson and explain how he defrauded people of money by claiming he needed treatment for a cancer he did not have. Did the public’s celebration of Carey as a hurler lead him down this path? And now will his standing in the eyes of that public ever be rebuilt?

They also check in on last week’s story regarding Conor McGregor’s appeal against his being found liable for sexual assault, explain the unusual withdrawal of fresh evidence, and what happens next.

Get in touch - [email protected] and [email protected]

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On this week's podcast, Sinead and Gavin toast the extraordinary work of Jim Gavin and his Football Rules Committee, which has successfully saved Gaelic football.

They discuss how the FRC pulled off the job, and where it stands among other ingenious rule changes in other sports.

They then make the point that if Gaelic football can be saved, then anything is possible: what lessons can the government learn from the FRC in tackling the housing crisis, or regulating Big Tech?

And, if the GAA can fix Gaelic football in less than a year, why can't they accelerate the process of integration?

Get in touch - [email protected] and [email protected]

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An estimated one in five Irish households access live sport using a dodgy box - on this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin explain the crackdown on their use, and the potential punishments for any user caught with a dodgy box.

They discuss the appetite among Gardaí for this crackdown, and how some broadcasters are seeking to take things into their own hands.

They also debate the moral question - why do so many people feel it is not wrong to use a dodgy box? Has it become unreasonably expensive to pay for sport legitimately? And can dodgy boxes ever really be fully stamped out?

Get in touch - [email protected] and [email protected]

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David Beckham has completed a career ambition with the bestowing of a knighthood by King Charles.

On this week’s podcast, Gavin and Sinéad discuss why Beckham wanted a knighthood so badly, and detail his 20-year campaign for the honour. They look back at his career, assess his legacy, and consider the controversies.

Do we underrate him as a player? Why did the English media establishment get Beckham so wrong for so long? Would sport and celebrity culture so enmeshed today had it not been for the trailblazing figure of Beckham?

And what next for Beckham and his family? Have they become an ersatz royal family for the benefit of America?

Get in touch - [email protected] and [email protected]

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Sinead spent the weekend at Croke Park, watching her beloved Kildare hurlers complete a stunning rise to win the Joe McDonagh Cup, and earn promotion to compete among Leinster's elite in the Liam McCarthy Cup next year.

On this week's pod, we discuss how Kildare completed their rise, and then discuss the GAA's biggest single failing of their history: the failure to grow hurling across the country.

We discuss why hurling is a minority sport, look at its biggest single impediment - Gaelic football - and explain what the GAA have got wrong, and what they are now trying to do to make it right.

Get in touch - email [email protected] and [email protected]

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