Jewish Athletes Et. Al.
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Jewish Athletes Et. Al. |
American Jews in Sports Boxing Before 1910, almost all professional boxers in the United States were of Irish birth or descent. This was true because the Irish had come to the United States in great numbers after the Irish famine beginning in 1848. By 1880, a good number of Irish men became boxers in order to escape the poverty of immigrant life. Likewise, the Jews who came after 1884 became the boxers after 1900, when some young men wanted to earn money and fame by boxing. Consequently it was believed in the 1920’s that boxing is a Jewish sport. After the 1930’s that was no longer true. The it became an Afro-American sport, and for the same reasons. The entrance of so many Jews into boxing contradicted a myth about Jews current in Europe. The 1600 year persecution of the European Jews who were defenseless against the overwhelming majority led to the popular opinion that Jews can’t fight and are too cowardly to defend their lives. Only a year ago, in 2019, German haters stood in front of a Berlin synagogue and shouted “Juden, Judenm feige Schweine, komm heraus und kampf alleine,” or, Jews, Jews, cowardly pigs, come on out and fight alone”. This was the view of the German followers of boxing and led the dictator Hitler to order the former heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling to visit him. Schmeling had a date to meet the Jewish American contender for the heavyweight boxing championship by going to New York on June 8, 1933. Hitler told Schmeling that the Jew Baer was racially inferior, could not fight, and that Schmeling would win because his German “blood” made that certain. Meanwhile Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels told all German newspapers and radio channels to have the German population listen to the radio broadcast on June 8 and hear Schmeling beat the Jew senseless. Baer came to the fight with trunks exhibiting a Jewish six pointed star. He then beat Schmeling and subsequently won the heavyweight championship. That led Hitler to prohibit any further radio or newspaper coverage of boxing. Max Baer went on to win 68 fights and lose 13 throughout his career. His most spectacular win was over Primo Carnera in 1934. Carnera was 6’6” tall and weighed 267 pounds. In 1968, Baer was named by Ring Magazine as an outstanding athlete and was then included in the Boxing Hall of Fame. He was also included in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Baer was married twice. In 1931he married Dorothy Dunbar. He divorced Dunbar and married Mary Sullivan in 1935, with whom he had three children. Hi son, Max Baer, Jr. became a movie actor and appeared in “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Max Baer Sr. also appeared in a few movies with is friend “Slapsy Maxie” Rosenbloom, the light heavyweight champion at the time. In 1935, Baer was matched with James Braddock. Baer hardly trained for the fight, as Braddock had the reputation of being a second rate fighter. However, Braddock trained every day and worked hard to be in as good a condition as possible. The gamblers favored Baer 8 to 1. Yet, after 15 rounds, Braddock was declared the winner in a unanimous decision. Thereafter, Joe Louis knocked Baer down twice in their September 25, 1935 fight. Baer then retired. After his retirement from the ring, Baer refereed boxing matches. Baer died of a heart attack suddenly in 1959. There is a park in Sacramento, California, named after him. He was also inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. Max Rosenbloom was born in Connecticut in 1907. He was a professional boxer, actor, and television personality. During his boxing career, he won 223 fights, lost 44, and had 29 draws. He was included in The Ring Magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Rosenbloom moved a great deal during a fight and was difficult to hit. His fights usually went the whole number of required rounds. In 1930, he won the New York light heavyweight title, and in 1932 he became the World Light Heavyweight Champion. In 1937, Rosenbloom accepted a role in a Hollywood movie. He became a comic actor and continued to act in films and on the radio and later on television. He was cast in an important role in the television drama “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” depicting a boxer at the end of his career. Rosenbloom portrayed a character who spent all his time recalling boxing stories with other ex-boxers who gather in a “down and out” bar. Rosenbloom retired from boxing in 1939 and then took up a movie career. He appeared in more than a hundred films, so that he had two careers. Benny Leonard was born in 1896 in the Jewish ghetto on the lower east side of Manhattan. His parents had eight children and were exceedingly poor. When he was fifteen, he began his boxing career because he wanted to earn money for his family and himself. In time he became known as the most outstanding boxer of his time. He was very fast, had an excellent boxing technique, and could think quickly. He was a powerful hitter, so that he won by 70 knockouts out of 89 wins. He was defeated only six times in his career. He distinguished himself by winning over 90% of his matches. After winning consistently, he became world lightweight champion in 1917 after defeating fifteen opponents. His constant wins led to his nicknames Benny The Great and The Great Wizard. After his retirement from boxing, Leonard worked as a boxing referee. During one of his referee assignments, he was stricken with a heart attack and died at age fifty-one. Baseball Henry “Hank” Greenberg was born in New York City in 1911. He became the first Jewish superstar ballplayer when he began his career with the Detroit Tigers as a first baseman. He was 6’4” tall and was regarded as one of the greatest sluggers in baseball history. His batting average was .313, he hit 331 home runs, and achieved 1,276 runs batted in. Except for the years of the Second World War, he played for the Tigers continuously, although he spent one year, 1947, With the Pittsburgh Pirates. Greenberg was an American League All Star for four seasons. In 1935 and in 1945 he won the old Series with the Tigers. In 1934 he attracted national attention when he refused to play on Yom Kippur (The Day of At-one-ment or Atonement), the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. That led the Detroit Free Press to publish a poem, “Speaking of Greenberg” which ended with the words, “We shall miss him from the infield and miss him at the bat/ but he’s true to his religion and we honor him for that.” Unfortunately there were then fans and opposing players who shouted anti-Jewish hate epithets at him, such as “throw him a pork chop, he can’t hit that,” and yelling “Moses” as well as foul language. After several such examples of hate came from the opposing dugout, Greenberg visited the dugout and asked if there was anyone who wanted to yell hate in his face. Since he was 6’4” and very strong, there were no takers among the cowards. During the Second World War, Greenberg served in the U.S. Air Force. Discharged after the war, he returned to the Tigers. He became the winner of numerous honors and awards. He was a an All Star every year from 1937-1940, and again in 1945. He was on World Series championship teams in 1935 and 1945, was voted Most Valuable Player in 1935 and 1940, and was the American League runs batted in leader in 1935, 1937, 1940, and 1946. In 1956 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Greenberg was married to Caral Gimbel, member of the department store Gimbel family. They had three children. Sanford Braun Koufax was born in Brooklyn, NY, In 1935. His father’s name was Braun. His mother divorced Braun and marred Koufax, who adopted him. Sandy became a pitcher for the Brooklyn dodgers in 1955 and remained with the Los Angeles Dodgers until 1966. At retirement due to arthritis, he had won 165 games and lost 87. His earned a run average was 2.76 and he had 2,396 strikeouts. Koufax was an all star seven times, World Series champion four times, Most Valuable Player in 1963, won the Cy Young Award three times, and the Pitching Triple Crown three times. In September 1965 he pitched a perfect game. He also pitched four no hitters and was elected to the Baseball hall of Fame in 1972. He was then 36 years old and the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1964 he was diagnosed with arthritis in his pitchung elbow, eventually forcing him to retire. The Dodgers retired his uniform number 32. In 1979, he was elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. From 1962 to 1966, he led the National League in shutouts and pitched four no hitters. He earned a number of other honors. In 1969, he married Anne Widmark and divorced her in 1982. Koufax married Kimberly Francis in 1985 and divorced in 1998, and his currently married to his third wife, Jane Clarke. Brad Ausmus is a Jewish former catcher and manager. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1969. He began his career in baseball for the San Diego Padres in 1993 and retired from the sport in 2010. His lifetime batting average was .251. he achieved 80 home runs, batted 607 runs in, and has won 478 games as manager. Ausmus played mostly for the Houston Astros through 2008 and at various times for San Diego, Detroit, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was manager of the Detroit Tigers from 2014 to 2017 and managed the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. He was an an All Star catcher in 1999, a three time Golden Glove Award winner, and won the Kile Award for integrity and courage in 2007. In 1999, Ausmus led the American League with a .998 fielding percentage. In 2000 he appeared in 150 games. He led the league with 68 assists and 898 putouts. In subsequent years he repeatedly led the league in several categories. He was inducted into The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and worked in the Padres’ front office from 2010 to 2013, before he became manager of the Tigers. Ausmus spent five years with the New York Yankees’ minor league teams. Ausmus was repeatedly traded but finally played for Houston from 2000 to 2008. In 2007, Ausmus signed a one year, $2 million contract with the Astros. Like other Jewish players, Ausmus did not play on Yom Kippur. In 2013 he was the manager of the Israeli team at the World Baseball Classic. Ausmus and his wife and two daughters live in New Haven, Connecticut. Ryan Braun was born in Los Angeles in 1983. He began his baseball career in 2008 with the Milwaukee Brewers. His career batting average is .298 and he achieved 1,983 hits, including 344 home runs. He has 1,128 runs batted in and 215 stolen bases. Braun is a six time All Star, the 2011 Most Valuable Player, the 2000 Rookie of the Year, five times the Silver Slugger award recipient, and in 2005 the NL home run leader. His success is in part caused by his extraordinary running speed. The Jewish Daily Forward listed him number 5 among the top 50 most significant American Jews. He was also inducted into the California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He received a large number of awards, medals, and honors. There have been numerous Jews in baseball. There is Dave Roberts, Kevin Youkilis, Harry Danning, Benny Kauff, Ron Blomberg, Mike Lieberthal, Steve Stone, Sid Gordon, Shawn Green, Ken Holzmann, and Al Rosen. These men may be viewed as the best Jewish baseball players in the 20th and 21st centuries. A number of baseball team owners are Jewish. Al “Bud” Selig, who owned the Milwaukee Brewers and who was also baseball commissioner, is Jewish, as is the Lerner family, that owns the Washington Nationals, Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox, Stuart Sternberg of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Fred Wilpon, who owns the New York Mets. There are also a number of Jewish general managers. Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers, Theo Epstein of the Chicago Cubs, and Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers are all Jewish. The New York Yankees’ president is Andy Levine. The Padres’ pitching coach is Larry Rothschild and Dan Warthen is the assistant pitching coach of the Rangers. Both are Jewish. Finally it is no coincidence that Jeff Idelson, former President of the Baseball Hall of Fame, is also Jewish. Jewish Americans love baseball and all sports, because in this country everybody has the opportunity to enter the sports arenas, unlike Europe, where Jews were systematically prevented from participating in sport. The Jewish Football Experience Prior
to 1948, when Israel became an independent country, Jews everywhere were
stereotyped as having no fighting ability, no physical courage, and no sports
competence whatsoever. The reasons for these negative beliefs can be found in
European Jewish history, which is aptly described by saying that the "Jews
of Europe were treated in the same fashion as the blacks in Mississippi
before the civil rights movement.”
As
the Jewish students entered Harvard, Yale, and Princeton in ever greater numbers
in the 1920s, white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants feared that their dominance of the
"Big Three" colleges was threatened. They decided to impose a quota
system restricting the number of Jews accepted each year. That quota system
was enforced until World War Il produced so many veterans whose tuition was paid
by the U.S. Veteran's Administration that these prejudices could no longer be
supported, as every "Tom, Dick, and Harry" came to the Ivy League
colleges and other schools at the expense of the government.
Marvin Levy is the only Jewish football coach to be elevated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Levy was born in Chicago in 1925. His family immigrated to the United States from Montreal, Canada. He graduated from South Shore high school in Chicago in 1943 and enlisted in the Army Air Force, where he served until the end of World War II in 1945 when Japan and Germany had both surrendered. Levy objected to the media’s comparison of football with war. He told his team that he had found no comparison. He said that even the Super Bowl is not a must win but that the war against Japan and Germany were indeed “must win” wars. Levy was known by the men who played for him as a coach who always knew the right thing to say in every situation. Although he did not “rip” the team, he had an effect on the players whenever he spoke to them. He was not a screamer and did not insult anyone. He managed to get the men angry at the opponents or at themselves. He was a true psychologist who knew how to motivate the players to give him all they had. After discharge from the Army, Levy enrolled at Coe College in Iowa. He earned varsity letters in football, track, and basketball. However, he earned a degree in English literature and was a member of a “Greek” fraternity. In 1951 he was admitted to Harvard for graduate study, where he earned a master’s degree in English history. Levy did not earn any degree in athletics or sports but became an intellectual liberal arts student. Despite his liberal arts education, Levy began his career as the baseball and football coach at the St. Louis Country Day School. He coached the school to a championship. Two years later he returned to Coe College as an assistant football coach. In his second year he was promoted to head coach, and won a championship in basketball. In 1954, he joined the coaching staff at the University of New Mexico, where he became head coach in 1958. In two seasons, he coached the team to a 14-6 record and earned the Conference Coach of the Year honor in 1958. In 1960 he was appointed head coach of the Cal Bears at the Berkeley campus of the University of California. During four years at that job, his record was 4-5-1. From there he became head coach at the College of William and Mary, where he twice earned head coach of the year honors. That was Levy’s last college coaching job. He then decided to coach professional football. He therefore became kicking team coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1969. One year later, George Allen of the Los Angeles Rams appointed him special teams coach. In 1971 he followed Allen to the Washington Redskins as special teams coach. From there he moved to Montreal, coaching in the Canadian Football League for five years. He coached the Montreal Alouettes to three Grey Cup games, winning two, and won the Coach of the Year trophy. He then went to Kansas City, where he coached the Chiefs from 1978 to 1982. Levy did not coach for three years and then became head coach for the Buffalo Bills, leading to so many wins that the Bills played in the Super Bowl four consecutive times, which no other team had ever done. The Bills did not win a single one of the Super Bowls. The first Super Bowl the Bills played was XXV, in January 1991, against the New York Giants. This was one of the best games ever played, with numerous lead changes. In the end it came down to a 47 yard field goal from Scott Norwood, the Buffalo kicker. He missed and the Giants won 20 to 19. In 1991 the Bills again were the American Football Conference champions and entered Super Bowl XXVI against the Washington Redskins . This time the Redskins attained a large halftime lead, which the Bills could not overcome. They lost 37-24. Super Bowl XXVII was a disaster for the Bills. The Dallas Cowboys beat them 52-17, as quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith dominated the game. The Dallas Cowboys faced the Bills a second time in Super Bowl XXVIII and defeated them 30-13, ending the Bills’ chances of winning a Super Bowl under Marv Levy. Despite these four losses, the Bills left some great memories in the minds of their fans. Quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas, wide receivers James Lofton and Andre Reed, and defensive end Bruce Smith, were all were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongside Marv Levy, who managed to bring his team to the Super Bowl four times. Jewish Owners of Pro-Football Teams. Ten of the 32 American professional football team owners are Jewish. Arthur Blank, the founder of Home Depot, is the owner of the Atlanta Falcons. Robert Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots, the most successful team of the 21st century. Mark Davis owns the Oakland Raiders. He inherited the team from his father, Al Davis ,who was the target of a great deal of anti-Jewish hate when he became the first Jew to own a football team. Brian, Edward and Joe Glazer, the sons of Malcolm Glazer, own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which they inherited from their father, Malcolm Glazer. Jm Irsay is the owner of the Indianapolis Colts. Irsay once told an interviewer that his mother was Polish-Catholic and that therefore he knew nothing of Judaism, but viewed himself Jewish nevertheless. The Philadelphia Eagles are owed by Jeffrey Lurie. Lurie graduated with a doctorate from Brandeis University and is a movie producer in Hollywood. Stephen Ross owns the Miami Dolphins. Ross is a tax attorney who bought 50% of the Dolphins in 2008. Steven Tisch is owner of the New York Giants. Tisch is a film producer and is known for his philanthropic (lover of humanity) interests. Zygmunt Wilf owns the Minnesota Vikings. He is the son of Holocaust survivors who is associated with the family real estate business. Basketball Anyone who watches a basketball game in 2020 can easily be convinced that “white men can’t jump” and that there is a “natural” affinity between basketball and the Afro-American community. The phrase, “it is only natural” is common among all ethnic groups who believe that their activities, their interests, and their conduct is somehow “inborn” and that that is also true of other subcultures. Yet, history and sociology tach that behavior is learned, so that there was a time when Jews, not Afro-Americans, dominated the basketball scene .That was true in the 1930’s and continued until after the Second World War. Therefore, the City College of New York and New York University were the basketball powers of the day. Professional basketball was in its infancy and hardly gaining much attention as basketball and football were mainly college sports before television made professional sports the huge success it is in the 21st century. The Basketball Association of America. which was the first group to promote professional basketball, began its activities in the early 1930’s. The first man to score a basket in that league was Oscar Schechtman, a Jewish boy, born in Brooklyn in 1919. In 1946, the first ever game of the Basketball Association of America, Schechtman made the first basket when the New York Knicks played the Toronto Huskies. In 1949, the league became the National Basketball Association. Schechtman played 54 games for the Knicks in one season. Schechtman averaged 8.1 points per game. He ended his career with a 4.3 points average. Schechtman played one more season in 1947-48 with the Paterson Crescents before retiring. He was named to the All NBA first team. He was then elected to membership in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the Long Island Athletic Hall of Fame and the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Jordan Farmar was born in Los Angeles in 1986. He represents a much later segment of Jewish basketball professionals than is true of Schechtman and Nat Holman. Farmar began playing basketball at age four because his father taught him the sport at that early age. He had a competitive spirit, as did both his parents. Farmar began his basketball career in high school when he scored 54 points in a single game. As a junior, he averaged 28.5 points per game, 8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. When he became a senior, he averagd 27.5 points and led his school to its first Los Angeles city title. Farmar was then named The Los Angeles Times Player of the Year and the California Interscholastic Federation Player of the Year. Parade declared Farmar “All American,” Cal-Hi awarded him all states Honors, and he was declared California Jewish athlete of the year. He then played in the McDonald’s All America game. Farmar enrolled in the University of California Los Angeles campus where he was named to the All Pacific first team. He was named National Freshman of the Year in his first year at UCLA, as he led his team in assists and free throws. In 2006 at the NCAA Tournament, he led the Bruins to the national championship against Florida. In 2006 he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, who drafted him when their scouts saw him achieve a 42 inch vertical leap. At his first professional game he, made 17 points and three assists in 30 minutes. In April of 2007, Farmar was called by the Lakers to play against Sacramento. In seven minutes of play, Farmar scored four points and four rebounds. In 2007, Farmar averaged 9.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. Farmar had won two championship rings with Los Angeles when in 2010 he signed a three year, $12 million contract with the New Jersey Nets. In 2011 Farmar signed a one year contract with the Israeli Basketball League. There he won Europlayer of the Week honors. In 2011, Farmar returned to the Lakers. Farmar has sponsored golf tournaments and raised money for numerous charities. Few basketball players have achieved the record attained by Farmar. There are and have been numerous Jewish basketball players who are adequate professionals, such as Zalofsky, Grunfeld, LaRusso, Stoudemire and Shays. Slats Zalofsky became a member of the Chicago Stags in 1946, the year in which the NBA was founded. He was then 20 years old and was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having fought the Japanese during World War II. Zalofsky was elected to the first four All NBA First Teams, leading the Association in scoring in 1947 and 1948. He made the All Star team in 1952. In ten seasons he averaged 14.8 points. Ernie Grunfeld is an immigrant from Romania who came to the United States in 1964. He enrolled at the University of Tennessee and averaged 23.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in his four seasons with the Volunteers. He won the SEC Player of the Year award in 1977. In 1977 he went to the Bucks, where he averaged 7.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 893 games. Grunfeld later worked for the Knicks in the front office as general manager. He created teams that made the NBA finals in 1994 and 1999, and stayed with the Bucks until 2003, when he became the Wizards’ president of basketball operations. Rudy LaRusso was born in Brooklyn. Like Fiorello La Guardia, he had an Italian father and a Jewish mother. His basketball career started at Dartmouth College where he played on two Ivy League teams, winning conference titles in 1958 and 1959. He was called “Roughhouse Rudy” for his bruising aggressive playing. In nine NBA seasons he averaged 16.9 points and 10.2 rebounds. He also made the NBA’s All Defensive team. He played in five all star games. Arthur Heyman was born in New York City. College scouts fond him in high school, which led him to play for Duke University. He then embarked on a seven year professional career. He averaged 13.0 points and .7 rebounds in the NBA and ABA. With the Pittsburgh Pipers, he won an ABA title. Heyman was a superstar in college. He was repeatedly physically attacked by opposing players, including Jewish players who sought to handicap his competition. Heyman was All American three times and reached All American Honors in his senior year. He won Final Four Most Outstanding Player, even though his squad did not reach the title game. Amare Stoudemire is a truly great athlete whose NBA achievements include six All Star games, an All NBA First Team election, an NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an average of 18.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks with the Suns, Mavericks, Knicks, and Heat. Dolph Schayes was born in the Bronx in 1928. He graduated from college with a degree in aeronautical engineering. In 1948, he was drafted by the Knicks, and later played for the Syracuse Nationals. He played 16 seasons for Syracuse, one in the NBL and fifteen in the NBA. He then played for the Philadelphia 76ers. He made six All State teams. In 1955, Schayes led the Nationals to an NBA title over the Pistons. Schayes finished his career with 18.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in fifteen NBA seasons. Swimming Any mention of achievements in competitive swimming must include Mark Spitz, who won seen gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich (München), Germany. Those Olympic Games are also unforgettable because they became the scene of a murderous attack on the Israeli delegation. Mark Spitz was born in Modesto, California, in 1950, the first of three children of Lenore and Arnold Spitz. When he was two years old, his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, but returned to California four years later. His parents enrolled him in a local swim club, which led to his winning one world age group record at age 17. This win was mainly due to having been trained by George Haines for three years beginning at age 14. Then, during his high school years, he held the record for every stroke and every distance. At age 16, he won the butterfly at a national championship race. The next year he became known worldwide when he swam the 400 meter freestyle in 4:10.6 minutes. In 1968, Spitz entered the Olympic competition in Mexico City. He won two gold medals in the 4x1000 meter free style relay and the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. In January 1969, Spitz enrolled in Indiana University to train with swimming coach Doc Counsilman. In 1977, Spitz won the James Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. In 1972, Spitz set a number of world records during the U.S. Olympic swim trials. He then became a member of the U.S. delegation to the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, which led to his astounding victories in seven competitions. He won the 200 meter butterfly in 2:00.7 minutes, the 2x100 freestyle relay, the 200 meter freestyle, the 100 meter butterfly, the 4x200 meter freestyle relay, the 100 meter freestyle, and the 4x100 m medley relay. After Spitz had won seven gold medals, he was advised to leave Munich early in view of an event generally known as The Munich Massacre, when eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage and later murdered by terrorists. Olympic authorities feared that Spitz would become a target for the terrorists because he was Jewish like the Israeli hostages. He was escorted out of Germany by U.S. Marines stationed in Germany. After the 1976 Olympics Spitz retired from competitive swimming at age twenty-six. In 1999, he became the only aquatic athlete to be included in Sports Century: 50 Greatest Athletes. When Spitz was 41 years old, a filmmaker offered him a million dollars if he succeeded in qualifying for the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was seconds slower than was required, and failed to be included in the US team. Spitz is a member of several Halls of Fame. He is included in the International Swimming Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the United States Olympic Hall of Fame, the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, the National Jewish Museum Hall of Fame, the Long Beach City College Hall of Fame, and the Indiana University Athletic Hall of Fame. After his retirement from swimming, Spitz appeared on a Bob Hope Special on televison in 1972. In 1973, he appeared on the Tonight show with Johnny Carson and the Sonny and Cher show. He next appeared on Emergency, and the Dean Martin Comedy Roast. Beginning in 1976, Spitz worked for ABC Sports, including coverage of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1985 he appeared on TV in “Challenge of a Lifetime,” and continued as a broadcaster. At subsequent Summer Olympics he was a commentator at swimming events. Since then, Spitz has worked at his real estate company in Beverly Hills and his sailing hobby. In 2006, Spitz narrated the film “Freedom’s Fury,” which was produced by Quentin Tarantino. Spitz has appeared in numerous commercial advertisements selling milk, razors, and other products. In 2006 he appeared on TV in a show called “Shock,” and later appeared in a commercial for a testosterone supplement. Mark Spitz has an estimated net worth of $20 million. He married Susy Weiner in a traditional Jewish ceremony in 1973. They have two sons. The family lives in Los Angeles , California. American Sports Sports are of great and lasting interest to Americans. This supports democracy, in that sports are open to all ethnic, religious, and racial subcultures living in the United States. Whatever prejudices may be associated with various “minorities” in the United States, sports are open to all. Whether football or basketball, tennis, or track and field competition, no one is excluded, all are welcome. Sports has the additional advantage of allowing athletes of various backgrounds to meet one another and to learn “that all men and women are created equal” and that achievement, not ethnicity or religion, count in the sports arena. For the vast majority of Americans who cannot compete at the Olympic level, sports has the advantage of being a satisfying entertainment as fans identify with one or another team and enjoy supporting “their” team instead of assaulting one another. Indeed, sports contributes to ethnocentrism, a sociological term which deals with the tendency for all men to favor their family, their school, their ethnic subculture, and their country over that of others. As long as ethnocentrism is related to sports, it is indeed a harmless way of achieving self-identification. Ethnocentrism becomes dangerous oly when it serves extremists who fancy themselves “Übermenschen” or “supermen,” and all others as “Untermenschen,” or “subhumans.” Sports integrate people of all heritages and is an essential part of democratic living in the United States. May it reign forever. Shalom
u'vracha. Dr. Gerhard Falk is the author of numerous publications, including The American Jewish Community in the 20th and 21st Century (2021). |
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