The game of hurling is more than just a game -- it is Ireland's national passion. But to appreciate hurling, one must look beyond the mere fact that it is a sport, because it is much more. Countering the trend towards big-money professional athletics, hurling has remained strictly amateur.

It is a game played purely for the fun and history of it. It is a game woven deeply into the social fabric of the Irish people. Which is amazing when one considers just how extraordinarily dangerous the game is.

Hurling is a great game, not just because it is a great game by itself, but because it seems to illustrate the best of Irish culture -- its folksy character, its work-hard and play-hard virtues, and its community-based values. Given a choice between two national pastimes -- baseball and hurling, I'll take me pint of stout and curl up pitchside for a game of hurling any day. Perhaps soon, enough Americans will agree after all those work stoppages, drug charges, fan abuse, and spitting at umpires.

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