Hurling elitism is leading to a great divide the GAA

The curtain has dropped on what can only be described as one of the most epic seasons of inter-county hurling in living memory and it was fitting that Galway and Limerick produced a breathtaking conclusion for the world to marvel at.

There is no denying the race for this year's Liam MacCarthy has been enthralling, fascinating, mesmerising and every other superlative any of us can think of.
From the classic games of the Munster SHC round-robin to the three thrilling matches served up in the All-Ireland semi-finals, the world is left in no doubt about which sport is the greatest field game in the world.
Add in the perfect timing of RTE's spellbinding hurling documentary 'The Game' and the promotion and profile of hurling has gone through the roof, gone through the stratosphere.....gone too far?

To many, hurling is an elitist game. Sure it is played by the masses, the length and breadth of the country and marveled by more from afar, but does anyone care about the 'greatest game' outside of the 10 counties that play it at the highest level?
The GAA don't care about hurling in the other 23 counties. They pay it lip service with their running off of the Joe McDonagh, the Christy Ring, the Nicky Rackard and the Lory Meagher Cups before the heavy stuff gets going, but little more.
Media coverage, at a national level, is practically non-existent for those competitions, a few lines here and there about the finals - that's it.

Yet, there have been some cracking games at those lower levels, but no one will ever hear about it because hurling in Meath, Roscommon, Louth, Fermanagh, Donegal and Sligo doesn't register with the hierarchy.

How could that 'The Game' documentary ignore probably two of the greatest games played in recent memory - the Christy Ring Cup finals between Meath and Antrim in 2016. It wasn't just all about controversy you know, there was some damn fine hurling in those games.
However, hurling is an elitist game and the element of snobbery surrounding it is getting out of control.
I don't mean snobbery in terms of the people playing the game, but rather the attitude of those who look down their noses at other sports and deride them just because a handful of good games has lit up their hurling world.
Sure hurling is exciting to watch and the skills breathtaking in their brilliance, but it is also the physical element of the game that makes it so appealing.
People love to see hard hitting sport, fierce belts, heavy hits and borderline tackles. Those things help with the hyperbole, but the reality of the game is that if referees’ applied the letter of the law then hurling wouldn't be the spectacle it is.
Then there is this constant comparing the game to Gaelic football. What's that all about? They are two totally different sports that just happen to be organised by the same association, but skillswise are as different as night and day.
Asking to choose one game over the other would be like asking a parent to choose their favourite child. But why should we choose, can we not appreciate both?
The main reason why hurling is so competitive is because of that elitism mentioned earlier. Only the top teams play against each other, therefore very few games end up lopsided. 
Playing teams of a similar standard against each other can only be good for the game - that doesn't happen in championship football.
In Gaelic football, the race for Sam Maguire is open to all. Some are genuine contenders, others are not even at the races, but at least they're given the chance.
By being given that opportunity the door is ajar for some woeful hammerings, most of which are inflicted by Dublin, who are arguably the greatest football team of all time.
Take Dublin's Leinster dominance out of the equation and we actually have quite a decent football championship in Ulster, Connacht and to a lesser extent Munster.
In hurling play can transition from one end of the field to the other in the blink of an eye. The ball can be stroked over the bar from 70, 80, 90 yards and the quantity of 
scores gives the impression of a classic.
In football, play has to be more intricate to work the ball upfield, therefore it is a slower game and rarely can a score be taken from further out than 50 yards, it leads to a more pedestrian game than hurling, but again, why do we constantly compare?
The old argument we often see on social media is 'I can't watch that football sh1te after watching a hurling classic'. Why not?
That's like saying you can't enjoy a good cup of tea and a biscuit after your spicy chicken curry, both can be enjoyed for what they are.
Sure there are problems with Gaelic football that need to be addressed, but there is an even bigger problem in hurling. 
The game is becoming more and more elitist and unless something is done to address that issue then the gap between the top six or eight is going to grow wider and wider and the rest will suffer.