Molly Meldrum is no stranger to a standing ovation, but recently he was left with a bitter taste in his mouth while fans applauded.
While watching Elvis, The Wonder of You in the Margaret Court Arena, the ovation left Meldrum uncomfortable in light of Court’s now notorious negative comments about the LGBTIQ community and same-sex marriage.
“I spoke to a lot of people on Friday night, doing a little survey for myself, and they all hated the fact it is called Margaret Court Arena,” he told the Herald Sun.
“I would love for there to be some sort of poll in Melbourne, to see what the community thinks.”
Having a stadium named after you is an undeniable achievement, but Meldrum thinks Court’s “divisive” comments leave her unworthy of the honour.
“We are all trying to be moderate and tolerant, and she comes out with these hateful comments, and with interpretation of the Bible, which is just wrong,” he said.
“She does not deserve it.”
Like many others pushing for a name change, Meldrum is a big fan of seeing the arena named in honour of Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
Goolagong Cawley was ranked number one player in the world in 1971 and 1976, and has gone on to establish a foundation to “give as many Indigenous children the opportunity to be the best they can be.”
Meldrum also praised other sports and teams, such as his much loved St Kilda Football Club, for their positive attitude and support for gay rights.
In 2015 the major sporting codes — Cricket Australia, AFL, NRL, Rugby Union and Football Federation Australia — committed to developing a Pride in Sport index to help eliminate homophobia in sport, and last year, the AFL held its inaugural “Pride Game”.
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