Unusual Athlete Name Changes
Metta World Peace
(from Ron Artest)
Lakers forward Ron Artest wants to change his name to Metta World Peace. His attorney filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 23, 2011, and an Aug. 26 court date has been set. In the court documents, the 31-year-old Artest cites personal reasons for wanting to make the change.
As Artest, or Metta World Peace, reminds us, names in sports are malleable objects. They are subject to the forces of Anglicization (Orestes "Minnie" Minoso), Braziliacization ("Pele"), typographical error (see the revised "Edinson" Volquez, with the correct two n's), religious conversion (Muhammad Ali), ostensible maturation (Adam "Don't Call Me Pacman" Jones) and holy matrimony (Justine Henin, then Henin-Hardenne, and now back again). Here are the more inspired renamings.
As Artest, or Metta World Peace, reminds us, names in sports are malleable objects. They are subject to the forces of Anglicization (Orestes "Minnie" Minoso), Braziliacization ("Pele"), typographical error (see the revised "Edinson" Volquez, with the correct two n's), religious conversion (Muhammad Ali), ostensible maturation (Adam "Don't Call Me Pacman" Jones) and holy matrimony (Justine Henin, then Henin-Hardenne, and now back again). Here are the more inspired renamings.
