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The minute of silence is fraught with danger at a huge sporting event like State of Origin. There will always be the odd fool who can’t keep quiet to respect a legend like Ron Clarke.
The Olympian who passed away at the age of 78 was being remembered at the very stadium he lit the cauldron to commence the 1956 Olympics.
As well as setting 17 World Records he was a man known for his incredible sportsmanship and generosity.
Unfortunately his life was not seen worthy of respect by some in the crowd and those people should be ashamed. Of course, the vast majority were trying to honour the man and were quite rightly doing their best to shut up the people making a noise.
It was one of the only disappointments of the night but it was a big disappointment. It annoyed me and many more watching on who couldn’t believe what we were hearing.
Nice touch by the guy who yelled ''Gallen's a wanker'' during the mins. silence for Ron Clarke. He would have liked that.
#Origin
— Richard Hinds (@rdhinds) June 17, 2015
Disgusting disrespect shown by a minority of the MCG crowd during the Ron Clarke tribute. Seriously, who are these wankers? #Origin
— Troy Dodds (@troydodds) June 17, 2015
Speaking on the TODAY show this morning Victorian premier Daniel Andrews condemned the behaviour.
“You get 91 and a half thousand people in any space you’re always going to get a few idiots and that’s exactly what they were, completely disrespectful idiots who don’t do our city, our state, or indeed our nation any credit at all,” he said.
It’s too simplistic to blame alcohol and it’s also a cop out by those who use it as an excuse for their abhorrent actions. Was it because the average person attending didn’t understand the significance of Clarke?
Either way I would actually prefer administrators put a stop to the silence and consider the British approach of 60 seconds of applause to honour our icons in sport and society in general.
It would stop the selfish tool from hearing their own voice and ensure the deceased receive the respect they deserve.
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