Minute's Silence

[McSwanky]

So yet again, another debate appears about football clubs holding or not holding a minute's silence after particular world events.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47605542

Putting aside the specific case of the horrific events in New Zealand, it saddens me to see this sort of thing politicised/used to make a point.

Is it time to do away with minute's silences altogether?

[Bangkok Hibby]

So yet again, another debate appears about football clubs holding or not holding a minute's silence after particular world events.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47605542

Putting aside the specific case of the horrific events in New Zealand, it saddens me to see this sort of thing politicised/used to make a point.

Is it time to do away with minute's silences altogether?

I havent followed the link but to answer your question I think the one minute applause for football related matters is ok. Non football silences maybe not. Attendees at matches can pay respects their own way.

[Antifa Hibs]

Minute silences at football should be for football related deaths/events only IMO.

[easty]

What does a minutes silence even do, before a game of football?

Sentimentality aside, how many people would actually spend that minute thinking about the attacks in New Zealand? I know I wouldn't. I don't think the majority of people would...so...whats the point in it, at all?

[steakbake]

I think there should be no silences, minutes or otherwise at the football. If someone connected to the club dies, I think some kind of mark of that is appropriate. However, a minute's silence for world events does nothing and just creates the potential for a 'why this and not that?.

I'd be glad to see the back of the annual 'Will Celtic fans keep the Remembrance silence' thread.

[Ozyhibby]

A couple of seasons back the fashion for a minutes applause every game was ridiculous. Nobody does fake sentimentality like football fans. Glad it’s going out of fashion.


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[Pretty Boy]

A couple of seasons back the fashion for a minutes applause every game was ridiculous. Nobody does fake sentimentality like football fans. Glad it’s going out of fashion.


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I got pelters when I suggested at the time that was a fad, admittedly one that may have given some comfort to a bereaved family. I also said it was something that would lead to hurt feelings as eventually people would get fed up of them and there would be applause that wasn't enthusiastically joined in with.

Lo and behold a few years later and I can't remember the last time one happened as opposed to almost every home game previously. Looks like it was indeed a fad after all.

[Sylar]

So yet again, another debate appears about football clubs holding or not holding a minute's silence after particular world events.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47605542

Putting aside the specific case of the horrific events in New Zealand, it saddens me to see this sort of thing politicised/used to make a point.

Is it time to do away with minute's silences altogether?

They're rightly being called out IMO.

Minute's silence, French National anthem, illuminating Wembley and displaying the French national motto after the horrific attacks at Le Bataclan, minute's silences held for the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the Westminster Bridge & Parliament events & the Manchester bombings (perhaps more understandable as domestic events), minute's silence after the Boston Marathon bombings, minute's silence after the Breivik attacks in Norway...

Yet, much like mainstream press coverage, every time there's a terrorist attrocity or attack that happens in the MENA region, or features predominately non-white victims, they're largely ignored.

As a Commonwealth nation, it's quite poor that the FA/Premier League didn't pay their respects (sorry, but a Tweet doesn't quite cut it when they selectively pay their respects to other such events in more public fashion). The rugby community is a little more connected in a sporting sense to the Southern nations, so it's no surprise the Six Nations paused to pay their respects.

[McSwanky]

They're rightly being called out IMO.

Minute's silence, French National anthem, illuminating Wembley and displaying the French national motto after the horrific attacks at Le Bataclan, minute's silences held for the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the Westminster Bridge & Parliament events & the Manchester bombings (perhaps more understandable as domestic events), minute's silence after the Boston Marathon bombings, minute's silence after the Breivik attacks in Norway...

Yet, much like mainstream press coverage, every time there's a terrorist attrocity or attack that happens in the MENA region, or features predominately non-white victims, they're largely ignored.

As a Commonwealth nation, it's quite poor that the FA/Premier League didn't pay their respects (sorry, but a Tweet doesn't quite cut it when they selectively pay their respects to other such events in more public fashion). The rugby community is a little more connected in a sporting sense to the Southern nations, so it's no surprise the Six Nations paused to pay their respects.

Whilst I agree with your points, you've strayed a bit off topic onto the more emotive part of the debate. (I was trying to avoid talking about this specific incident, and was making a more general point.)

[Sylar]

Whilst I agree with your points, you've strayed a bit off topic onto the more emotive part of the debate. (I was trying to avoid talking about this specific incident, and was making a more general point.)

This specific incident only becomes valid when you consider the other incidents that HAVE been acknowledged in the past though. It's part of a larger narrative, and can't be considered in isolation.

For what it's worth, I'm not a huge fan of minute's silences at football/rugby etc anyway, but I do understand why they still happen (certainly in relation to the sport itself (player death/former club hero death etc), or large nationally relevant incidents).

But so long as the governing body continues to cherry pick what "merits" a minute's silence and what doesn't, they'll rightly come under scrutiny as to why.

[danhibees1875]

I think the applause/silences should be generally done away with. I'd have a 2 minute applause on the first/last home game of the season for all fans or ex-players etc who were connected with the club who have passed in the last year. There could be a little dedication to them all in the programme and their names rolling across the scoreboard during the applause. That would save the issues faced from a couple years ago that others touched on where every other game there seemed to be an applause on the Xth minute that no one really knew who for but joined in out of courtesy.

[McSwanky]

This specific incident only becomes valid when you consider the other incidents that HAVE been acknowledged in the past though. It's part of a larger narrative, and can't be considered in isolation.

For what it's worth, I'm not a huge fan of minute's silences at football/rugby etc anyway, but I do understand why they still happen (certainly in relation to the sport itself (player death/former club hero death etc), or large nationally relevant incidents).

But so long as the governing body continues to cherry pick what "merits" a minute's silence and what doesn't, they'll rightly come under scrutiny as to why.

Don't get me wrong, I get your point. Of course if they had minutes' silences for incidents in France, Manchester etc, it's hypocrisy to not have one for this. But I reiterate, my point is a general one. And I don't think the narrative you're talking about here is relevant to my point.

The problem is that there's always going to have to be someone that chooses what to 'commemorate' and what not to. And there's always going to be someone who disagrees. Which, in this divisive climate, results in lashings and lashings of whataboutery. Which results in more division. Etc. Etc.

Time to knock it on the head IMO.

[Sylar]

Don't get me wrong, I get your point. Of course if they had minutes' silences for incidents in France, Manchester etc, it's hypocrisy to not have one for this. But I reiterate, my point is a general one. And I don't think the narrative you're talking about here is relevant to my point.

The problem is that there's always going to have to be someone that chooses what to 'commemorate' and what not to. And there's always going to be someone who disagrees. Which, in this divisive climate, results in lashings and lashings of whataboutery. Which results in more division. Etc. Etc.

Time to knock it on the head IMO.

We at least do seem to agree on your final point.

Apologies, I wasn't seeking to derail your thread in any way. I just find myself agreeing with a lot of the critique that the FA are currently facing. I understand the purpose of the thread was more general though :aok:

[hibsbollah]

My friend, who passed away in 2016, got a minutes applause at ER because of his involvement with London Hibs, and I know this meant an enormous amount to his surviving family. So I understand the power of them. On the other hand, I feel like they lost their meaning through repetition after a while, so I'm happy on a general sense they've become less of a thing.

On the double standards employed by the media in comparison with 'westerm' Vs 'the others' deaths, i totally agree with sylar (and no je suis Charlie Hebdo or New Zealand flags on Facebook profiles this time round either). But in general I'm glad to see the back of silences. Also in the current climate there's no chance a silence for Christchurch would be respected in a lot of grounds across the country, I'm sad to say.

[Besties Debut]

During minute silences i stand and cringe that somebody is going to make a noise or shout something daft or abusive. The minute's applause is just as bad standing clapping like seals for somebody the majority of fans and players will never have heard off. I think we should put to bed the fake sentimentality

[Wilson]

The support is silent for a large majority of most games. I wouldn't have thought a minutes silence would be much of an imposition to be honest.

[heretoday]

I'm tempted to say that only football-related events should be marked in this way but I think the point is that when a lot of people are gathered together in one place it's OK to remember any really tragic thing or loss of an important figure.

Football is where we get those sorts of mass gatherings now. It's taken over the role of the church in that respect!

[Sir David Gray]

I hate minute's applauses with a passion, I'd rather have nothing at all than sit clapping for 60 seconds. It's a nonsense fad that was brought in to try and silence the idiotic minority who can't (or won't) stay silent for a minute.

In regards to having a silence, I personally don't feel that terrorist attacks should result in a minute's silence being held at a football match. The only exception i'd perhaps give is when it's taken place in the UK. An attack in New Zealand is no different to an attack in Bangladesh but I doubt if there would be any calls for a minute's silence to be held after an attack there.

My sympathies go out to everyone affected by the events in Christchurch. It was a despicable and cowardly act and I sincerely hope the guy responsible is jailed for the rest of his life but respect and condolences is something for the government to pass on to their New Zealand counterparts on behalf of the UK. It's not the job of football to mourn the deaths of people, particularly when it seems to be so selective.

[Hibernia&Alba]

They're rightly being called out IMO.

Minute's silence, French National anthem, illuminating Wembley and displaying the French national motto after the horrific attacks at Le Bataclan, minute's silences held for the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the Westminster Bridge & Parliament events & the Manchester bombings (perhaps more understandable as domestic events), minute's silence after the Boston Marathon bombings, minute's silence after the Breivik attacks in Norway...

Yet, much like mainstream press coverage, every time there's a terrorist attrocity or attack that happens in the MENA region, or features predominately non-white victims, they're largely ignored.

As a Commonwealth nation, it's quite poor that the FA/Premier League didn't pay their respects (sorry, but a Tweet doesn't quite cut it when they selectively pay their respects to other such events in more public fashion). The rugby community is a little more connected in a sporting sense to the Southern nations, so it's no surprise the Six Nations paused to pay their respects.

A good post. The plain fact is we pick and choose our sympathy; the media picks and chooses the victims deemed worthy of blanket coverage and those who are not. I would prefer minute's silences to only be football related.

[Jones28]

They're rightly being called out IMO.

Minute's silence, French National anthem, illuminating Wembley and displaying the French national motto after the horrific attacks at Le Bataclan, minute's silences held for the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the Westminster Bridge & Parliament events & the Manchester bombings (perhaps more understandable as domestic events), minute's silence after the Boston Marathon bombings, minute's silence after the Breivik attacks in Norway...

Yet, much like mainstream press coverage, every time there's a terrorist attrocity or attack that happens in the MENA region, or features predominately non-white victims, they're largely ignored.

As a Commonwealth nation, it's quite poor that the FA/Premier League didn't pay their respects (sorry, but a Tweet doesn't quite cut it when they selectively pay their respects to other such events in more public fashion). The rugby community is a little more connected in a sporting sense to the Southern nations, so it's no surprise the Six Nations paused to pay their respects.

Good point 👍🏻