Sunday, September 18, 2011

One small step for World Peace.

If I was a sports reporter this is what I’d be writing about this week:




Ron Artest.
Or should I say Ron One Love.
Excuse me, I mean Ron I Love The World.
Just kidding it’s Metta World Peace.

This weekend in basketball news, one of my favourite forms of news to follow for stories exactly like this, Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace.

This is not an April Fool’s day joke. Dear friends,  it’s only September . The name change became official last friday when Artest’s lawyer had this discussion with Commissioner Matthew C. St. George;

St. George: "Mr. Artest has requested a name change to Metta World Peace?"

Rajan: "Yes, your honor."

St. George: "And it's for personal reasons, he said?"

Rajan: "Yes, your honor."

St. George: "OK. All right. He'll now be known as Metta World Peace. Thank you."

Clearly the name change is due to boredom. The NBA is locked out right now and players and fans are beginning to stir. Obviously Ron was experiencing boredom more severely than the rest of the NBA. The poor guy just wanted some excitement in his life. His first move towards activity came by signing up for Dancing With The Stars. The second step was the name change. And the next part will be changing his 8 year old daughter’s last name to match his.

PS the child’s name is Diamond. So her official name would be Diamond World Peace. (ha!)

FACT: for a minor to change their last name both parents must give consent. I’m curious to see if the ex-wifey will allow this to happen. All I can say is save your kid from World Peace.

I am looking forward for the lockout to be over, I mean who doesn’t want to get their hands on a World Peace jersey?

As a journalist, my question is not for Ron Artest, it’s for the other sports journalists out there. How can ANYONE write about this story without questioning his mental health? 

Although I am not, some people are taking his name change seriously. The Los Angeles Times reported;

       World Peace's publicist, Courtney Barnes, said his client had been contemplating the switch for years, "but it took many years of research and soul-searching to find a first name that was both personally meaningful and inspirational." Metta is a Buddhist term that means loving kindness and friendliness toward others.

“Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world," World Peace said in a statement. "I'm glad that it is now official,"said Ron Artest.

I feel that this name change will bring great change to the world. I’m already beginning to feel the overwhelming feeling of world peace creeping over the world.

I’d like to personally thank the player formerly known as Ron Artest for saving the world.