Has there ever been a greater ambassador to any professional sport, than Arthur Ashe was to tennis?

Question

I've been reading a lot about him, and the guy was amazing. He definitely deserves to have Arthur Ashe stadium named after him. He led an amazing life, and was a remarkable man. Can you think of anyone that has been a greater amabassador to any sport than Arthur Ashe was to tennis?

Answer 1

Probably Billy Jean King would be on par.

Answer 2

Ya, Ashe has been one of the greatest ambassadors of the modern game. A true hero.

There has been many great ambassadors in various sports. Jordan to Basketball. Pele and Weah to football. But non can hold a candle to Ashe for what he has done for social causes.

Honors

After Ashe's death, his body lay in State at the Governor's Mansion in his home state of Virginia. The last time this was done was for Stonewall Jackson of the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

The city of Richmond posthumously honored Ashe's life with a statue on Monument Avenue, a place that was traditionally reserved for statues of key figures of the Confederacy. This decision led to some controversy in a city that was the capital of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.  

The Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2005.The main stadium at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, where the U.S. Open is played, is named Arthur Ashe Stadium in his honor. This is also the home of the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day.

In 2002, Arthur's achievement at Wimbledon in 1975 was voted 95th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

In 2005, the United States Postal Service announced the release of an Arthur Ashe commemorative postal stamp, the first stamp ever to feature the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine.

Also in 2005, TENNIS Magazine put him in 30th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.

His wife wrote a book, Daddy and Me, a photographic journey told from the perspective of his young daughter. Another book, Arthur Ashe and Me, also gives young readers a chance to learn about his life.

ESPN's annual sports awards, the ESPY Awards, hands out the Arthur Ashe for Courage Award to a member of the sports world who best exhibits courage in the face of adversity.

Philadelphia's Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center and Richmond's Arthur Ashe, Jr. Athletic Center are named for Ashe.

The Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center at Ashe's alma mater, UCLA, is named for him. The center opened in 1997.

In Henrico County, Virginia (adjacent to Richmond), an elementary school in his honor was opened in the fall of 1994 as Henrico County's first volunteer uniform school,[clarify] with grades kindergarten through five, a PEDD program, and a Head Start program.

Answer 3

yeah! neva....

Answer 4

I admired him and thought he was a gentleman