Photo: Louis Armstrong | By David Lister, The Independent | One of the small delights of watching the US Open tennis over the last two weeks has been hearing the commentator say that the next match “will take place on Louis Armstrong”. It conjures up a rather surreal image. And it must take some explaining to tennis fans under 40, and certainly to teenage fans, who can’t all be expected to be familiar with the work of one of the most charismatic jazz musicians to have lived.
But I love it. I love that a sporting arena, a world-famous tennis court (or “stadium”, as the Americans rather grandly call it) is named after a cultural figure. A naming that will provoke younger attendees to question their parents about the great Satchmo, or at the very least google him.
And I wonder why this cannot be done over here. Why do we not use the names of cultural figures in the same way? . . . that they wouldn’t benefit from a more imaginative name, the name of a great musician, author, actor or painter?
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Why not rename them after cultural figures from the locality and encourage some family discussions about them, encouraging a sampling of their work? How’s about a D.H. Lawrence stand at either Nottingham Forest or Notts County? Leeds United could honor Alan Bennett. Newly promoted Coventry FC could celebrate their Premier League status with a truly poetic gesture, naming a stand after local boy Philip Larkin. Lower down the football ladder, Bromley FC should consider paying homage to one of its most famous sons, David Bowie.
The increasing popularity of women’s football/soccer could be accompanied by recognition in the grounds of female titans of the arts. I’d just mention to the owners of Tottenham Hotspur that Adele is one of their most passionate fans.
And, going back to tennis, why not rename one of those prosaically numbered courts at Wimbledon in honour of the late Dame Maggie Smith, or the happily still alive Dame Judi Dench? And one doesn’t have to be a fan of Cliff Richard to acknowledge that he once famously entertained the Centre Court crowd. He is arguably worthy of a namecheck.
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And so, I live in hope that at Wimbledon next year Sinner will play an epic, five-set match with Djokovic on David Hockney.
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Go here to read more on this interesting idea:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/voices-donald-trump-is-right-we-do-need-a-new-renaming-spree/
Photo: Louis Armstrong | From his Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1524669825692007&set=pb.100044470118113.-2207520000
