With the All-Ireland hurling final taking place at Croke Park tomorrow between Galway and Kilkenny - there is an awful lot of attention from the rest of the world. From Alf Stewart to various tourist guides, hurling is looked on very favourably around the globe.
It would make sense then, that the BBC is trying to explain hurling and it's heroes to the British public. In an in depth article entitled "The Hurling Heroes Of Ireland", the BBC go into quite a bit of depth on the history of the game, the rules, a quick guide, and the latest on tomorrow's final.
But one paragraph sticks out like a sore thumb:
A friend who was a student teacher along with Kilkenny's team manager, Brian Cody, said his hurling stick was like an extension of his arm, the future All-Ireland winner rarely without it, refining his ball-skills in spare moments - just as others play with mobile phones today. With an appearance not unlike Vladimir Putin's - except taller and with a steelier and more scary stare - he's become the sport's most successful manager of all time, ruling his players with military discipline.
Did I actually just read that? Not only was Cody physically compared to Putin - but he's also described as steelier and scarier? Eh...
[BBC]
