Pete Sampras Stadium?

K

Ken B.

Rookie
Just something I was thinking about while watching the US Open this year, and hopefully this could be a competent debate:

I know this may never happen, but shouldn't Arthur Ashe stadium be renamed after Pete Sampras somewhere down the line? He is arguably the greatest American player to ever play the game, and his accomplishments in Tennis clearly overshadow anything Ashe did. Now, while Ashe was an activist off the court (I am not in any way discrediting that), his actual tennis wasn't that great and nothing that would be "#1 stadium in America" worthy.

Australia has Rod Laver over their best stadium, as he is the best Australian tennis player. It goes together. So why can't the same be said of America? Is activism more important than the actual results of playing the game now?
 
That would just be plain stupid and an insult to Arthur Ashe's legacy.

Unless Sampras in the latter half of his life makes an impact deeper than his name engravings on the grand slam trophies.
 
VGP said:
That would just be plain stupid and an insult to Arthur Ashe's legacy.

Unless Sampras in the latter half of his life makes an impact deeper than his name engravings on the grand slam trophies.
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I couldn't agree more.

Obviously, the OP has a total misunderstanding of the person Arthur Ashe was and his importance in history.
 
Jack the Hack said:
I couldn't agree more.

Obviously, the OP has a total misunderstanding of the person Arthur Ashe was and his importance in history.
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In history or tennis history? Because there is a difference. I am looking at it from a purely tennis standpoint.
 
yay cant see this as a resonable thing to do. arthur ashe represented so much and sampras was just a tennis player. grand stand could become pete sampras court. also ucla already has the pete sampras tennis center so he already got something.
 
Aside from winning a bunch of slams, what has Pete Sampras done for humanity as a whole? His achievements were very personal, albeit very impressive. Ashe represents so much more.
 
VGP said:
That would just be plain stupid and an insult to Arthur Ashe's legacy.

Unless Sampras in the latter half of his life makes an impact deeper than his name engravings on the grand slam trophies.
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I agree as well. Sampras was a great player and many will debat whether or not he was the GOAT. But, to name a stadium after him. Nah.
 
I don't think UCLA or LA has a Pete Sampras name attached to anything. And I live here...

Pete deserves what he's got. 14 GS trophies and a great reputation.
 
Everyone's been saying they should dedicate something to Agassi. Eventually there will have to be something named for both of those guys in the US. Agassi's name belongs in New York.
 
arosen said:
Aside from winning a bunch of slams, what has Pete Sampras done for humanity as a whole? His achievements were very personal, albeit very impressive. Ashe represents so much more.
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Pete has done some things over the years...albeit it not as possibly great or ground breaking...but its more than some pro's on the tour....here is a list...maybe he will do more in the future:

'Pete's Charities
In March 2000, Pete Sampras hosted the "Pete Sampras Classic" golf event for the benefit of the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation, where he serves as a board member.

Tim was Pete's previous coach who died of brain cancer in 1996. When Tim was first diagnosed with cancer early in 1995, he and his family established the foundation to assist patients and their families cope with the illness.

The event attracted about 30 Hollywood, sports and media celebrities and raised over US$ 90,000 for the foundation.

In 1997, Pete started the Aces for Charity. For every ace he serve, Pete donated US$ 100. In 1999, he has doubled this amount. Through his personal contribution and the support of sponsors, he was able to raise nearly US$ 1 million in three years.

Pete has also contributed to the following charities

The Kid's Stuff Foundation
The Vitus Gerulaitis Youth Foundation
Revlon/UCLA Breast Center
Avon Breast Health Access Fund
American Cancer Society (member of the Public Awareness Board)
United Cerebral Palsy
The Silver Lining Ranch
Elton John's Aids Foundation
Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of Aids
Children's Make a Wish Foundation
Bill Johnson Tennis Foundation (Philadephia) '
 
Pete doesn't deserve it more than Ashe. Maybe they can eventually name something else after Sampras. Like a panda bear.
 
There clearly arent that many places that can be named after players. Especially with arguably both Pete and Andre eventually deserving something named after them. So heres an idea for Andre - name the center court of Key Biscane after him, where he has had so much success. The only problem would be many may argue that would not be enough, as not many people outside of tennis would know about it with it not being a slam. But there is clearly a limit to how many courts can be named after players at the Grand Slam tournies.
 
Andre more so than Pete

Image is everything. If they were going to name something after an American tennis player, I would take Andre over Pete. What he had done with his charter school in Las Vegas will help a generation of kids fulfill their dreams.

Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe were much larger in life than their accomplishments on the court. In 1973, Billie Jean King was the most admired woman in the world in a poll of young woman by a major magazine. Arthur Ashe will always be known for his fight against apartheid in South Africa. You have to applaud Pete for his 14 Grand Slam victories, but his life off the court pales in comparison.
 
The ball was in said:
The event attracted about 30 Hollywood, sports and media celebrities and raised over US$ 90,000 for the foundation.

In 1997, Pete started the Aces for Charity. For every ace he serve, Pete donated US$ 100. In 1999, he has doubled this amount. Through his personal contribution and the support of sponsors, he was able to raise nearly US$ 1 million in three years.
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Mother Teresa, step aside, here comes Pete Sampras with his 90 grand. Look, no disrespect to Pete, he has worked hard to earn his wealth, but he is worth hundreds of millons of dollars. He owns TV channels and tourneys for goddsake. So excuse me if his 90 grand worth of contributions does not sound all that impressive, esp. when it's tax deductible. As for another number, 1 mil, Andre has raised tens of millons during just one of his charities events (one coming up in October, actually). Pete's a legendary player, but humanitarian he is not.
 
Arthur Ashe Stadium was named after him not only for what he did on the court, but the impact he had worldwide. Sampras was certainly a better player and has been recognized for that,but he is not the humanitarian that Arthur was. I don't know how old you are but maybe you should go back and see what he has accomplished in tennis and life.
 
arosen said:
Mother Teresa, step aside, here comes Pete Sampras with his 90 grand. Look, no disrespect to Pete, he has worked hard to earn his wealth, but he is worth hundreds of millons of dollars. He owns TV channels and tourneys for goddsake. So excuse me if his 90 grand worth of contributions does not sound all that impressive, esp. when it's tax deductible. As for another number, 1 mil, Andre has raised tens of millons during just one of his charities events (one coming up in October, actually). Pete's a legendary player, but humanitarian he is not.
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Not only that, the event raised 90G, it wasn't Pete's donation. And $1mm over 3 years was the combination of Pete and sponsors, not just Pete. These amounts are so paltry, they should be an embarassment, not a bragging point.
 
Although a great player, IMO a selfish player, they should give the better outside courts player's with great achievements its name, but leave the arena's to real givers in tennis.
 
Can't believe people comparing ashe to sampras. What has ever sampras done to receive that honor. Go and read what Ashe and King has done for the humanity before coming and talking about 14 grandslams. tennis, after all said and done is just a sport.

Ashe and King represented more than just tennis. And rightly so are they named after the biggest stadiums in the world.
 
For those of you who follow Jon Werthiem's mailbag. This idea was floated in one of the mails. Basically start renaming some of the lesser courts after some of the american greats. Over the next 10 years or so, all the numbered courts would be renamed to Connors court, Evert court, Sampras court, Agassi court, Mcenroe court ...

Each year they could rename one of the courts. That would be a great idea.
 
first off, lemme just say that i think the whole "naming" thing is HIGHLY overrated, and totally overdone. honor people with statues or something. but in america, such a big fuss is made nowadays about the name of a stadium or court. i guess it's an honor. but so many stadia are named after the company who bids the most money. so in a sense, it's a bit lame.

some of the oldest stadia (and coolest) are named after the neighborhood (fenway park) or the team (yankee stadium). this is true (and even more common) in countries other than the us. i think that's cool. it gives the average person the notion that the arena belongs to them, in a way (and not to an individual or corporation). the national tennis center is public, so that would make real sense.

why there's a louie armstrong court on a tennis complex, i don't quite get. and the english, who patented the game back in the 19th century have the oldest major, with courts named "centre court" and "court 1." nothing wrong with that.
 
skip1969 said:
first off, lemme just say that i think the whole "naming" thing is HIGHLY overrated, and totally overdone. honor people with statues or something. but in america, such a big fuss is made nowadays about the name of a stadium or court. i guess it's an honor. but so many stadia are named after the company who bids the most money. so in a sense, it's a bit lame.
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I loved how quickly the Astros tried to get out of their naming agreement with Enron, though.

skip1969 said:
some of the oldest stadia (and coolest) are named after the neighborhood (fenway park) or the team (yankee stadium). this is true (and even more common) in countries other than the us. i think that's cool. it gives the average person the notion that the arena belongs to them, in a way (and not to an individual or corporation). the national tennis center is public, so that would make real sense.
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Agreed.

skip1969 said:
why there's a louie armstrong court on a tennis complex, i don't quite get. and the english, who patented the game back in the 19th century have the oldest major, with courts named "centre court" and "court 1." nothing wrong with that.
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I didn't know for the longest time that Louis Armstrong used to live in Flushing. I kept thinking there was some sort of tennis link of which I was completely unaware.

In a way though, if one is going to name a sports arena after a public figure, that's almost the perfect way to go. That is, selecting someone that doesn't have anything to do with the sport being played at said stadium. It removes ensuing controversy.

This is why I have to give extra kudos to a guy like Ted Turner for naming a stadium after himself.

I'm thrilled that Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King have been honored. The downside is these kinds of discussions about who "deserves" to have a stadium, court, etc. named after him/her and why or why not.

Eventually, they're going to run out of tennis courts. What's next? If I ever actually go to the U.S. Open in person (had my chances when I used to live in NYC) I don't want to be directed to Aaron Krickstein Row, Seat Jimmy Arias. :rolleyes:
 
maybe wimbldeon centre court should be renamed "Sampras Centre Court" since he did win 7 in 8 years... lol
 
KBalla08 said:
maybe wimbldeon centre court should be renamed "Sampras Centre Court" since he did win 7 in 8 years... lol
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He could have the roof named after him when its built...
 
People made fun of Andre Agassi Version 1, 'Image Is Everything'. But there is truth to it. Americans want personalities. Sampras will be remembered as a brooding loner, obsessed with one thing - amassing as many titles as possible. It was only late in his career that we found out that he liked golf - when he blew off the Aussie Open to hang out with celebs in Palm Springs and play the Bob Hope Classic. Agassi, after a rocky start, evolved. Ashe and King's efforts off court far outweighed their great careers, and merit recognition (although, like Skip, the naming is getting a little out of hand).

Having said that, I'll back 35's Panda idea. Do we get to eat it? :-)
 
sampras truly deserves part of the usta tennis center to be named after him. i mean he did win 14 gs.....he deserves it.

if not, sampras' name should be in like a major tennis academy.
 
VGP said:
That would just be plain stupid and an insult to Arthur Ashe's legacy.

Unless Sampras in the latter half of his life makes an impact deeper than his name engravings on the grand slam trophies.
Click to expand...

Let me add my "I couldn't agree more." Samras' legacy is nothing compared to Ashe's or King's for that matter. Both of these individuals stayed in the game on a great level after retirement and both impacted society in ways Sampras hasn't come close to. BJK is probably solely responsible for Title 9.

I do think that they should rename one area of the USTA center though:


The Serena Williams Food Court
 
To rename it, would be an insult to the memory of Arthur Ashe. The discussion reminds me of Bill Tilden, who at the end was broke and had to sell all his trophies (to win and behold a trophy, was the biggest thing then, because you had to win it thrice). There is no memorial for this unique player, who did the most - in good and bad - to the game. Other guys, who come to mind are Kramer or Gonzales, who carried the pro game for so long.
 
Great players should have a statue made for them. Great people deserve the stadium and/or facility named for them. You get the stadium for things that you do off the courts. Also Sampras court doesn’t sound as good as Ashe stadium.
 
Racist??

I dont think that they will ever rename the Arthur Ashe - i dont see another black tennis player american or otherwise coming up the ranks.

But they should rename Grandstand Sampras staduim.
 
Sampras clearly deserves something at some stage but to rename the ashe stadium would be the ultimate insult. Nevermind who Ashe is or what he has done, whoever had the court named after them was because that person did great things and should be rememberd. Who are we as a new generation or future generations to decide wether the things they did are important or worthy anymore?
 
so if they were to rename the Grandstand, would you rather it be named after Sampras (for his many tennis accomplishments) or Agassi (for his tennis and his off the court accomplishments)?
 
jjk20 said:
so if they were to rename the Grandstand, would you rather it be named after Sampras (for his many tennis accomplishments) or Agassi (for his tennis and his off the court accomplishments)?
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luckily thats not up to me to decide:) but there is no way a court which already has been named after a player, should be renamed - see my last post on this subject.
 
christos_liaskos said:
luckily thats not up to me to decide:) but there is no way a court which already has been named after a player, should be renamed - see my last post on this subject.
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oh, I completely agree with you about not renaming a court/stadium already named for someone else. my question was more of a general one, directed at no one in particular.
 
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