Andy Murray Got Knighted Today, Which Might Be The Coolest Honor You Can Achieve as a Human Being

Of all the old traditions that still exist in the world, being knighted is BY FAR the coolest. Do you know how awesome it must be to go around and have people call your Sir Andy Murray, instead of just Andy Murray. Just the process of being knighted with a sword is incredible. It feels like we’re still in Middle Earth times, but nope it’s 2019. I wasn’t entirely sure what being knighted meant or how you get that honor, and I’m sure you’re in the same boat so here we go…

Since 1917, the British government has been awarding notable citizens with spots in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which just recently welcomed Beatle Ringo Starr into its ranks. Although the Order, which was established by King George V, was originally meant to honor top-notch civilian and military behavior in wartime, it quickly expanded to include peacetime achievements as well.

The Order has five separate ranks: Knight and Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight and Dame Commander (KBE and DBE, respectively), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). Achieving one of the first two ranks earns a person a slot in the knighthood, which means they can add “Sir” or “Dame” to their names, i.e. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dame Judi Dench. -Source

Awesome. So it’s basically like getting the Medal of Freedom, except so much cooler because a sword is involved and you can add it to your name and make everyone call you it. Being knighted should be everyone’s life goal. Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius was knighted in Curaçao after his Netherlands team won the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup. No wonder he has made the transition from Derek Jeter essentially effortless. He’s a knight.