# Who should be in the pamphlet “Famous Jewish Sports Legends”... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 4, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998 "2019-06-04T04:04:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/1 "2019-06-04T04:04:34Z")
When _Airplane!_ came out in 1980? Today? Would the pamphlet be bigger today? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/2 "2019-06-04T04:48:05Z")
A few I found when I googled “Jewish Athletes” (there are many others, but these have some name recognition): As of 1980: - Sandy Koufax - Hank Greenberg - Lou Boudreau - Lyle Alzado - Mark Spitz - Dolph Schayes - Sid Luckman Additional since then: - Ryan Braun - Kevin Youkilis - Sasha Cohen (the figure skater, not the actor) - Kerri Strug ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/3 "2019-06-04T11:55:54Z")
Hall of Famer Rod Carew (he converted.) ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/4 "2019-06-04T12:50:03Z")
I believe there’s no evidence that Carew actually converted–he certainly married a Jewish woman, attended Jewish services, and raised his kids Jewish–but it’s not at all clear that he ever “officially” became a Jew. Boudreau, I think, had a Jewish mother, but identified as Catholic. Do they qualify as Jewish? My information could be wrong–too lazy to look it up just now–but I think it’s correct. I read a book about Jewish sports figures once. A lot of impressive athletes, and a few who were not so impressive… Still, any list that includes Koufax and Greenberg is an impressive list! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/5 "2019-06-04T13:05:02Z")
You know how nowadays, some people debate whether blacks have inherent racial advantages at sports, because they’re so overrepresented in basketball and football? Well, back in the day (1930s, I think it was), people asked the same questions about Jews and boxing. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/6 "2019-06-04T13:11:09Z")
Julian Edelman ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/7 "2019-06-04T13:11:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > people asked the same questions about Jews and boxing. Jews were also basketball’s ethnic stereotype then. Then somebody (it’s contested) invented the jump shot. > [@Blank Slate](#): > > Hall of Famer Rod Carew (he converted.) If you can’t trust Adam Sandler to get his facts straight, who \*can \*you trust? ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/8 "2019-06-04T13:32:05Z")
Shawn Green (outfielder for Blue Jays, Dodgers, and other teams). He once hit four home runs in a single game. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/9 "2019-06-04T13:49:52Z")
Aly Raisman (Gymnastics) Max Baer (Boxing) Sue Bird (WNBA) Dara Torres (Swimming) Ian Kinsler (MLB) Lyle Alzado (NFL) Sarah Hughes (Skating) Nate Ebner (NFL) Jay Fiedler (NFL) Andre Tippett (NFL) Amy Alcott (Golf) Corey Pavin (Golf) Mitch Gaylord (Gymnastics) Eric Nystrom (Hockey) Kenny Bernstein (Motorsports) Jim Fuchs (Track and Field) Dwight Stones (Track and Field) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/10 "2019-06-04T14:29:32Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Jews were also basketball’s ethnic stereotype then. Just the fact I was going to mention. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/11 "2019-06-04T15:14:50Z")
Harold Abrahams, Olympic winning sprinter 1924 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/12 "2019-06-04T16:59:00Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Max Baer (Boxing) Doesn’t count as a cite, because I can’t find the source, and Baer wore the Star of David on his trunks when he fought Schmeling, but - > [@Max Baer's Manager](#): > > I seen him in the shower. He ain’t Jewish. To make up for that, [Benny Leonar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Leonard)d, who was undoubtedly Jewish, was one of the greatest lightweights of all time. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/13 "2019-06-04T17:39:19Z")
Former Chicago Blackhawks goalie, Murray Bannerman. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/14 "2019-06-04T17:48:06Z")
Baseball players Gabe Kapler, if he’d been better, or Kevin Youkilis, if he’d ever been healthy. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/15 "2019-06-04T17:49:30Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Doesn’t count as a cite, because I can’t find the source, and Baer wore the Star of David on his trunks when he fought Schmeling, but - I’d seen Baer on the list that Google generated when I googled “Jewish athletes” – but, when I looked up [his Wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Baer_(boxer)), it indicates that his father was “half Lutheran German and half German Jewish,” that his mother was “of Scots-Irish Protestant American ancestry,” and that he was “raised in a nominally nonsectarian home.” My Gentile understanding of Jewish lineage is that, according to the [Code of Jewish Law](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/601092/jewish/Why-Is-Jewishness-Matrilineal.htm), a child is considered to be Jewish if their mother is Jewish. By that reading, if I understand it correctly, Baer’s father might have been considered to be Jewish (from a church law standpoint), depending on if his “half Jewish” lineage was his mother, but Baer, himself, would not have been. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/16 "2019-06-04T21:02:37Z")
Max Baer (Boxing) He was the father of Jethro I think!😛 ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/17 "2019-06-04T22:36:03Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > I believe there’s no evidence that Carew actually converted–he certainly married a Jewish woman, attended Jewish services, and raised his kids Jewish–but it’s not at all clear that he ever “officially” became a Jew… I trust the guys at [Jew or not Jew](http://www.jewornotjew.com/profile.jsp?ID=204), so you’re right. Stupid Sandler. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/18 "2019-06-04T22:41:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’d seen Baer on the list that Google generated when I googled “Jewish athletes” – but, when I looked up [his Wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Baer_(boxer)), it indicates that his father was “half Lutheran German and half German Jewish,” that his mother was “of Scots-Irish Protestant American ancestry,” and that he was “raised in a nominally nonsectarian home.” > > My Gentile understanding of Jewish lineage is that, according to the [Code of Jewish Law](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/601092/jewish/Why-Is-Jewishness-Matrilineal.htm), a child is considered to be Jewish if their mother is Jewish. By that reading, if I understand it correctly, Baer’s father might have been considered to be Jewish (from a church law standpoint), depending on if his “half Jewish” lineage was his mother, but Baer, himself, would not have been. The Jewish mother thing is mostly only important to the Orthodox. But him being raised in a non sectarian home would likely disqualify him from the groups who allow patralinial descent. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/19 "2019-06-04T22:56:16Z")
Former South African cricket captain [Ali Bacher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Bacher). ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/20 "2019-06-04T22:58:45Z")
NAF1138: > [@](#): > > The Jewish mother thing is mostly only important to the Orthodox. Conservative Judaism also still considers it to be the standard, at least officially. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998.md?page=2)