Margaret Court, or Margaret Smith as she was originally, was one of the greatest tennis stars of the 1960s and 1970s; she won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including the all four in 1970, 19 Women's Doubles and 21 Mixed Doubles, including all 4 twice, in 1963 and 1965. Her overall record as a player exceeds that achieved by any other woman in tennis history and she stands alone as quite possibly the greatest female tennis player ever.
In recognition of her status, one of the main arenas at Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Grand Slam tournament, has been named the 'Margaret Court Arena' since 2003. However, this naming is now under attack as, after her tennis career ended, Margaret Court became a Pentecostal Church Minister and, in this capacity, has expressed vociferous opposition to abortion, homosexuality and marriage between people of the same sex.
Numerous former players, notably the lesbians Billie-Jean King and Martina Navratilova, have criticised Court for her views and there are now calls from some for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed. Samantha Stosur, a lesbian Australian player, has suggested that players may refuse to play at next year's Australian tournament in protest, unless the Arena is renamed; Andy Murray, who has involved himself in this row for no obvious reason, has also chimed in, suggesting that 'something should be done' and calling for a quick resolution to the matter before the tournament takes place.
For the record, I think that marriage between 2 men or 2 women is idiotic nonsense and that far too much attention has been paid to so-called 'gay rights'. I also think that the culture of 'abortion on demand' is fundamentally wrong and destructive of our society. These are my views and, whether others like them or not, I stand by them. Margaret Court is entitled to the same privilege.
Court's personal views on these matters do not impinge on the lives of others and do no one any harm. She has not advocated any form of violence or action against those with whom she disagrees; she has not, for instance, demanded that lesbians should not be allowed to play on 'her' court. However, it seems that the offended players are the ones who don't want to play unless it's on their terms, and one of those terms is that the court be renamed. Frankly, this is a ridiculous argument trumped up by a small number of people with an axe to grind and it should be treated as such.
In 1973, many players refused to play at Wimbledon after a row about the suspension of a player, Nikola Pilic; nonetheless, the tournament went ahead and was a roaring success. In fact, many players who would never had had the opportunity to play at Wimbledon found themselves experiencing a genuine 'once in a lifetime' thrill.
Margaret Court's tennis record speaks for itself and is monumental; her personal views are just that and are irrelevant. To rename the Arena would be to submit to the bullying of a pressure group and it should be resisted, as should all attempts to limit free speech or rewrite history in such ways. If that means that some players will boycott the tournament, so be it. The Australian Open will survive, tennis will survive and there will be opportunities for others to show off their talents.
In recognition of her status, one of the main arenas at Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Grand Slam tournament, has been named the 'Margaret Court Arena' since 2003. However, this naming is now under attack as, after her tennis career ended, Margaret Court became a Pentecostal Church Minister and, in this capacity, has expressed vociferous opposition to abortion, homosexuality and marriage between people of the same sex.
Numerous former players, notably the lesbians Billie-Jean King and Martina Navratilova, have criticised Court for her views and there are now calls from some for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed. Samantha Stosur, a lesbian Australian player, has suggested that players may refuse to play at next year's Australian tournament in protest, unless the Arena is renamed; Andy Murray, who has involved himself in this row for no obvious reason, has also chimed in, suggesting that 'something should be done' and calling for a quick resolution to the matter before the tournament takes place.
For the record, I think that marriage between 2 men or 2 women is idiotic nonsense and that far too much attention has been paid to so-called 'gay rights'. I also think that the culture of 'abortion on demand' is fundamentally wrong and destructive of our society. These are my views and, whether others like them or not, I stand by them. Margaret Court is entitled to the same privilege.
Court's personal views on these matters do not impinge on the lives of others and do no one any harm. She has not advocated any form of violence or action against those with whom she disagrees; she has not, for instance, demanded that lesbians should not be allowed to play on 'her' court. However, it seems that the offended players are the ones who don't want to play unless it's on their terms, and one of those terms is that the court be renamed. Frankly, this is a ridiculous argument trumped up by a small number of people with an axe to grind and it should be treated as such.
In 1973, many players refused to play at Wimbledon after a row about the suspension of a player, Nikola Pilic; nonetheless, the tournament went ahead and was a roaring success. In fact, many players who would never had had the opportunity to play at Wimbledon found themselves experiencing a genuine 'once in a lifetime' thrill.
Margaret Court's tennis record speaks for itself and is monumental; her personal views are just that and are irrelevant. To rename the Arena would be to submit to the bullying of a pressure group and it should be resisted, as should all attempts to limit free speech or rewrite history in such ways. If that means that some players will boycott the tournament, so be it. The Australian Open will survive, tennis will survive and there will be opportunities for others to show off their talents.
