Has football developed an unhealthy obsession with death?

[DeadLinesman 2,614]

I read this article a while back and agreed wholeheartedly with it. Seems to be a minutes applause every week or some other stupid fucking celebration on a random minute in the game. Am I just a grumpy old twat or is there any truth in this?

Football is becoming consumed by grief. Last month, Aston Villa held a minute's applause 20 minutes and 16 seconds into their final game of the calendar year, a 1-1 draw with Leeds United. The reason? To pay homage to "all the Villa fans that passed away in 2016". A year earlier, Southend United did the same thing to mark 2015's "lost supporters". Tactful and touching, or disingenuous, conceited, and just plain weird?

 

https://sports.vice.com/en_uk/article/has-football-developed-an-unhealthy-obsession-with-grief

[...Dan 572]

Doing it for all the fans that passed away in the year is bizarre. Past players/managers/whatever is acceptable.

[Dan 1,243]

I can't stand minutes applauses.

This is the society we live in nowadays - it's the "RIP DAVID BOWIE IM SO HEARTBROKEN" superficial culture that's developed more and more, probably as a result of social media and the bigger voice everyone now has.

Too many people now want to appear to be a good person rather than be one.

Rarely a game goes by these days where I don't see some rollcall on Facebook or Twitter for a minutes applause for a fan of ours that has died and it's reached the point now where they've been overdone to the extent they're almost meaningless. It's now just... oh, it's the 16th minute, why are they clapping? Er... clap.. clap... OK? So what was that for?

[Eco 1,680]

Eh, I think doing a minute's applause for all the lifers, with a picture or something is respectful. I think doing it in the middle or for 20 minutes is just over the top. 

To be honest, I couldn't be arsed either way. 

[Spike 2,311]

I think it's weird that Liverpool still obsesses over Hillsborough. Yeah, it was national tragedy but almost seems like shameless PR now.

[Dan 1,243]

8 minutes ago, Spike said:

I think it's weird that Liverpool still obsesses over Hillsborough. Yeah, it was national tragedy but almost seems like shameless PR now.

I do think that's different because the case is still ongoing. In general though I think there's become far too big an obsession with futile "tributes".

[Harvsky 2,658]

Nothing beats what goes on at St James's Park every week.

People are still doing a minutes applause on the 17th minute for the lads who were tragically killed on-board flight MH17 three years ago. They have done it every game for 3 seasons.

It's actually got to the point now where some people start singing to try and drown out/over power/bring an end to this applause. 

The away support have called it a day already but the home support just can't move on.

We could be approaching our 4th season doing the same minutes applause.

I can't remember which game it was but I was at an away game this season where there were 3 separate minute applauses. 1 before the game and 2 during it.

 

 

[LFCMike 1,352]

13 hours ago, Spike said:

I think it's weird that Liverpool still obsesses over Hillsborough. Yeah, it was national tragedy but almost seems like shameless PR now.

Yes and no. I think Liverpool as a football club have turned Hillsborough into a brand of its own almost. It's become a selling point if you like. Each memorial service after the 20th anniversary became an absolute circus and a tourist attraction. Just an excuse for people to get into Anfield for free and take pictures of the players as they took their seats on the Kop.

I think people who were involved in the disaster are still entitled to do whatever they feel best in terms of rememberence though

[The Artful Dodger 1,433]

Hillsborough has been obsession because it took such a long time to get honesty from the government and police, the way the people and city were demonised is the reason its turned into what is is. Not just a tragedy but a cause, a cause proven after all this time and evidence of institutionalised criminality by the forces of law.

It's above the football club, the Hillsborough press onslaught was about a deliberate attack on a whole city. This year will be the first without an official commemoration and hopefully it can be the start of closure, although whether we'll see any real justice for the deliberate covering up and doctoring of witness statements remains to be seen.
 

[WhoNose 2]

A minutes applause to remember those who died is a small task. Family of a lost individual is probably in the stadium and could mean a lot to them. I have no quarrel with it.

[Harvsky 2,658]

Applause actually prevents remembrance imo. A minutes silence on the other hand is incredibly powerful as it forces the individual to contemplate.

[SirBalon 2,607]

32 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

I think the minutes applause was only introduced to drown out the pond-life that always scream and shout whenever a minutes silence takes place. There's nothing worse than being stood in silence respecting someone's passing only for some melt to shout ''Come on you Irons'' and punch the air. 

For me an applause is a more fitting way to commemorate a past player anyway. Silence although very respectful, is rather morbid. Applauding is giving thanks in unison. 

[Rafa Beneathus 285]

Prime suspects....Newcastle United. The families of the two lads that were sadly killed in the MH17 flight by the missile have requested that our fans stop clapping in the 17th minute yet thousands still do. Every other week on Facebook or Twitter there's something doing the rounds to say "clap in x minute". Fuck off man.

[Dan 1,243]

8 hours ago, Cannabis said:

I think the minutes applause was only introduced to drown out the pond-life that always scream and shout whenever a minutes silence takes place. There's nothing worse than being stood in silence respecting someone's passing only for some melt to shout ''Come on you Irons'' and punch the air. 

Too right. I think they're a sad indictment on society in general to be honest. They're a sign that we can't actually manage a silence. I actually get a little nervous before a minutes silence hoping some twat doesn't fuck it up, yet so often someone does, in fairness probably someone in the concourse unaware but it always leads to people telling them to shut up, followed by others doing the same to those, it's funny and sad at the same time observing how thick some people are.

Saying that the majority of grounds in this league manage 90 minutes silences weekly.

[Dan 1,243]

8 hours ago, SirBalon said:

For me an applause is a more fitting way to commemorate a past player anyway. Silence although very respectful, is rather morbid. Applauding is giving thanks in unison. 

It's why they happen that gets me. I firmly believe applauses happen because people have proven time and time again a silence is beyond them.