During the
interwar period, syndicated sports columnists such as George Joel, Harry
Conzel, and others wrote articles, columns, and annuals that appeared in a
variety of Jewish newspapers. Joel, for
instance, wrote for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), which had his columns,
articles and annuals published in the Philadelphia Jewish Times and the Detroit
Jewish Chronicle.[1] These columnists merged the broad outlook of
the distant and lionizing annuals with experiential content of local columns as
they provided information on the accomplishments of well-known Jewish athletes
and identified Jewish athletes to the readership. They infrequently included non-elite athletes
as evidence of Jewish athleticism, but these athletes rarely informed
compilations beyond claims that “Americanized, practically every Jewish
youngster participates in some sport or another.”[2]
Jewish newspapers
rarely contained sport pages, so readers in various cities often received their
information on Jewish athletes from syndicated columnists. Letters from readers countered claims of an
athlete’s Jewish identity or the greatness of a team or individual, but few
challenged the idea that “sport should be encouraged. It is a good school for
life; it prepares us to will and to do.”[3] Yet, some commentators noted that because of
the annuals and columns, “the Jewish reader makes the inference that his strong
brethren have conquered all the American sports and are equally successful at
them all. …Can we, however, honestly claim that the Jewish athlete takes to all
sports with the same degree of success?”[4]
Most columnists asserted
that Jews succeeded in basketball more than any other sport. Outside of Nat Holman, the columnists generally emphasized the collective importance
of Jewish basketball rather than individual
players.[5] Throughout the 1920s, columnists argued, “from
a Jewish angle,” that basketball had become the “the king of sports.” George Joel stated in his 1927 syndicated
annual that, “it is hard to find a college team without at least one Jewish
player on the squad.”[6] The previous year, Harry Conzel boldly claimed,
“it would be useless to list Jewish basketball players. Collegiate and professional basketball teams
all over the country contain almost a majority of Jews.” As late as 1930, columnists continued to
assert that in basketball, it remained “impossible to attempt to name the
Jewish players. This is a sport that Jews dominate.”[7]
The perception of
Jewish ‘dominance’ led columnists to ask “why Jewish athletes show such marked
superiority in basketball above all other sports.” This question “has puzzled the leading
exponents of the game, although some advance the theory that their ability lies
in their brainy playing and their uncanny accuracy in locating the basket.”[8] In 1926, Conzel decided that since “it is a generally
accepted fact that Jewish athletes dominate the sport of basketball,” he would make
“a study of this puzzle.” He concluded
that, “basketball is the least dangerous sport.
Basketball requires more speed and rapid thinking than brute strength.
…Basketball does not necessitate too rigorous training. So there you are. It is not an indictment against Jewish
athletes; it is probably a tribute to their intelligence.”[9]
[1]
Oriard, King Football, 34. According to Oriard, Joel published the first
Jewish All-America football team in 1925.
[2]
“Sports are in the Air,” American Hebrew, June 4, 1937.
[5]
Baseball allowed for more extensive examinations regarding the Jewish place in
the sport and in-depth analysis regarding individual ability. Hank Greenberg’s MVP award in 1935 was
essential in representing his athleticism as a Jew. Likewise, Barney Ross’ success as a boxer was
never separated from his championships.
[6]
“Thru Sportdom,” The Jewish Times, December 3, 1926 . Local papers across the country concentrated
on the activities of clubs, institutions, and organizations that would never
have garnered the attention of the Hebrew; George Joel, “The Year in
Sports,” Philadelphia September
30, 1927 . Joel had been a
member of ZBT and wrote for the fraternity’s publications.
[7]
Harry Conzel, “Jewish Athletes of the Year,” American Jewish World, September 3, 1926 .
The annual stated that Conzel was the “foremost American authority on Jews in sports.” “The Year in
Sport,” American Jewish World, September 19, 1930 .
[8]
Sidney S. Kluger, “An Account of Jewish Athletes as Jewish Stars,” American Jewish World, April 18, 1924 .
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