Business of Sport: An Irishman, Englishman and Scotsman walk into a bar

Ewan MacKenna: We all know that numbers make a difference in a sport with no transfers

Ewan MacKenna.

An Irishman, Englishman and Scotsman walk into a bar. It’s early July as the three journalists pull up chairs, yet despite the sandy surrounds of Rio de Janeiro and the impending World Cup final, the latter two want to know about something that doesn’t fit the here and now.

Questions arise over Gaelic football, so you explain rules. They arise over competitions, so you talk championship. They arise over teams, so you mention ...