A Würzburger forever in Dallas: Nowitzki made of white marble stands in front of the American Airlines Center, where the Mavericks play.
Image: USA TODAY Sports
The trend of honoring outstanding athletes like Dirk Nowitzki with a statue for eternity is now inflationary. What’s behind it? And why have women not played a role in this until now?
Eo few times has there been a controversy that focuses on a memorial to a deceased football coach. Because these men, revered like demigods and well paid in America, are rarely overtaken by critical stories. Ten years ago, however, one morning construction workers arrived on the campus of Penn State University and, under the eyes of the police, dismantled a 400-kilogram bronze sculpture in front of the country’s largest stadium, which had been erected by private donors to commemorate the long-time coach To remember Joe Paterno. A sex scandal rocked the university. And Paterno, who had recently died at the age of 85, was suspected of covering up his assistant coach’s criminal activities. Demolition seemed the only way the character could be forgotten.
The state educational institution has not revealed what became of the scrap metal. It was only this summer that an attempt by a politician in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to demand the information by law failed. The majority of the Chamber rejected his proposal. The suspicion remains that the statue was melted down.
