A minute of silence will always be more powerful than applause – column
There’s something incredibly powerful about silence.
In a world which buzzes with noise 24/7, taking a moment to stand in silent contemplation and reflection has more emotional impact than any round of applause ever can.
Friday night saw Fife Flyers and Glasgow Clan fans rising as one to remember The Queen, impeccably observing a two-minute silence.
Contrast that with the response at Tynecastle as Hearts’ Europa Conference game against İstanbul Başakşehir went ahead just hours after the news of The Queen’s death was announced.
The minute’s silence was interrupted with shouting and booing, forcing the referee to cut the tribute short. An embarrassment for all.
For Tynecastle, read any other sports venue in the UK. There are idiots everywhere, not just at Tynie - a ground I spent my teenage Saturdays deep in the throng of The Shed learning the Hearts songbook off by, well, heart.
It only takes a few idiots to disrupt the moment, and, sadly, we are surrounded by too many of them.
I guess that’s why a minute’s silence became a minute’s applause. At least, that way, the halfwits were drowned out.
But sometimes we should persist with tradition.
Is it really beyond us to stand silently for a minute?
Friday’s game went ahead while sport everywhere else was cancelled.
It was the right decision to play.
We can still pay fitting, proper tribute and play on.We can feel sorrow, but find comfort and life among the crowd.
We can still absorb every piece of news while heading to the rink for a few hours of full-throttle action.
It was a joy - if that’s the right word - to hear the silence at Braehead on Friday.
Only the sound of a young child echoed briefly - and that will always happen - as everything, and everyone stopped to pay tribute.
And then comes that glorious wave of noise; the applause, the roar, the sound systems kicking in - I’ve seen that moment electrify arenas and stadiums.
The energy of the crowd kicks in, and everything just takes off.
It also confirmed to me that, when it comes to a formal tribute, a minute’s silence should prevail every single time.