Sport and History go hand in hand as there is always a new piece to be written and today’s All Ireland SFC Final between Dublin and Mayo is no different. No matter which team wins in Croke Park this afternoon, history will be made.
A win for Mayo will see them lift the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 1951 and not only will it secure the teams place in history, but will also see the players assume God like status within their county and they will never have to put their hand in their pockets to pay for a pint for the rest of their lives.
A loss for Mayo though will see them grab a unique piece of history they would rather not have. As it stands along with Cork, Mayo hold the the joint record for losing consecutive All Ireland Finals, defeat on toady will see them have that record all on their own, a record and piece of history that may never be broken again.
A Dublin win will create two pieces of history, firstly Jim Gavin’s men will be the first side from the capital to win back to back All Ireland Titles in 39 years, a feat last done by a Dublin team in 1977 and it will cement the current squads status as one, if not the greatest Dublin team of all time and will also see them if they aren’t already classed the team of the decade.
Secondly a win will see Dublin Captain Stephen Cluxton make another unique piece of history by becoming the first captain to lift the Sam Maguire Cup three times.
And finally there are many who believe today’s final between Dublin and Mayo will be a tight affair with little between the teams at the final whistle, which leaves the possibility of the game ending in a draw. If that were to happen it would the first draw in the All Ireland SFC Final in sixteen years and the first since the backdoor was introduced.
The last draw was back in 2000 between Kerry and Galway with the Kingdom winning the replay. That was the last year of the old championship structure as the following year seen the introduction of the qualifier system the following year.
So one way or the other, the squads and supporters of each county, are in for an historical final today.