Sweet Home Chicago Open
Chicago, IL, USA
Story & Video by ZeeShaan Jamal
** Video below **
By now many people have heard, read and also seen a lot about the Sweet Home Chicago Open tournament. The precedent it has set is there for everyone to witness and acknowledge. Today’s pyramids are the modern skyscrapers that mankind has come to revere as architectural marvels, so by staging a tournament like this in the midst of the shadows of Chicago’s tall & towering buildings, Imran Nasir and his team have managed to bring the Pyramids of Giza home.
What a breath-taking sight it was indeed to see an all-glass show court erected in the heart of downtown Chicago, right on the ‘magnificent mile’, where thousands of people saw the amazing spectacle of Squash on display while going about their work and lives. I can personally guarantee that at least 80% of all those people walking by stopped in their places to witness what was going on and inquired about the sport being played.
‘Bring the game to the masses’, this was the mantra that Imran and his team were working on and boy did they ever bring the game to the masses. Chicago witnessed the spectacle of Squash in all its glory thanks to some very gifted athletes who graced the tournament with their presence. Tennis legend Billie Jean King was a very welcome spectator and seemed quite amused by the sport which was being showcased so very aesthetically.
From the setup it looked as though God Himself had descended from the heavens to gift Squash with such a well-organized event, with the most stunning glass court set as the battle-ground for the warriors of our sport, but it wasn’t so. This was all made possible as a result of the tireless efforts of Imran Nasir, the tournament committee, the sponsors, the volunteers & the players. The icing on the cake was the enthusiasm of the fans, who flocked to see the best of the best go at it, many of whom didn’t even know about the sport of Squash or that such a sport even existed.
The objective was achieved convincingly, the sport was now in the lap of the masses and the masses were only too happy to accept it, embrace it, like it and adore it. As a parting note to this wonderfully organized event, I would just like to thank all the people involved in putting this together and laud them for their intense efforts in raising the profile of our wonderful sport. The precedent has been set, the bar has been raised and I am sure many more passionate promoters will follow this example and help our sport attain the status that it so convincingly deserves.
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