Greetings! In this edition of the Jewish Sport Report, we highlight Jake Retzlaff’s distinctly Jewish sponsorship agreement, a Jewish perspective on the tumultuous Winter Meetings in baseball, and more. However, first, there’s still time to register for our upcoming online event commemorating the 75th anniversary of a significant — and controversial — Black-Jewish basketball championship […]
Greetings! In this edition of the Jewish Sport Report, we highlight Jake Retzlaff’s distinctly Jewish sponsorship agreement, a Jewish perspective on the tumultuous Winter Meetings in baseball, and more.
However, first, there’s still time to register for our upcoming online event commemorating the 75th anniversary of a significant — and controversial — Black-Jewish basketball championship at the City College of New York. Join us on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET for a dialogue with author Matthew Goodman about the 1949-1950 CCNY Beavers basketball championship and the subsequent downfall.
Register for our complimentary event here.
Jake Retzlaff’s fresh sponsorship agreement makes him the matzah ambassador
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff secured a sponsorship deal with the Jewish food brand Manischewitz. (Courtesy of Manischewitz)
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff has gained recognition among Jewish sports enthusiasts this season. The Jewish native of California steered the Cougars to a 10-2 victory and a top-25 national ranking, all while proudly displaying his Jewish identity during his time at the Mormon institution.
Now, Retzlaff, BYU’s first Jewish starting QB, is once again making headlines: as the first athlete to secure a sponsorship agreement with the renowned Jewish food brand Manischewitz.
The arrangement — facilitated through the NCAA’s NIL (name, image, likeness) policy, allowing college athletes to benefit from their personal brands — will feature special-edition Retzlaff-branded matzah, along with social media material showcasing recipes and other Jewish holiday customs. (Manischewitz is well-known for its spelling of the unleavened bread as “matzo.”)
“Manischewitz has always been a part of my upbringing,” Retzlaff expressed in a press statement. “I fondly remember having matzo with peanut butter as my preferred snack, and every Passover, my family and I prepared matzo pizza together. During Chanukah, we traditionally made potato latkes.”
He added: “Now, at BYU, I get to share these traditions with my teammates. This collaboration transcends football — it’s about fostering connections and celebrating Jewish pride in ways I didn’t anticipate.”
Halftime update
SUPPORT ON THE COURT. A group of high school basketball players from Israel, hailing from areas near Gaza, are currently in Los Angeles, where Rabbi Erez Sherman has organized a schedule of activities designed to utilize basketball as a means of healing. The group attended a Clippers game on Wednesday — where Sherman and the Israeli participants were recognized — and are set to attend a Lakers game on Sunday. Additionally, they scrimmaged with local schools and toured UCLA.
FOUR NATIONS, FOUR JEWS. Instead of hosting an All-Star Game this season, the NHL is organizing a 4 Nations Face-off, a round-robin event in February featuring NHL stars representing the national squads of Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. Team USA will include Jewish players Jack and Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox, and Jeremy Swayman.
PUT ME IN, COACH. Goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, a key player for Israel’s national team, debuted this season on Tuesday for Bayern Munich, the dominant German team he joined as a backup last year. Peretz came into the match after starting goalkeeper Manuel Neuer received a red card and played for 70 minutes. Even though his team lost 1-0, Peretz stated it was “a tremendous feeling to represent this great club and do so in front of such amazing fans.”
NOW PLAYING. For our readers in San Diego, don’t miss the Dec. 16 film screening of “Israel Swings for Gold,” the documentary focusing on Team Israel’s journey at the Tokyo Olympics, featuring a Q&A with Team Israel coaches Kevin Youkilis and Brad Ausmus.
KINSLER FOR COOPERSTOWN? On the subject of Team Israel, former player and coach Ian Kinsler is the first Jewish MLB player to appear on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot since Youkilis in 2019 and Ausmus in 2016. According to a fan poll conducted by The Athletic, Kinsler was mentioned on three percent of nearly 5,000 ballots, which is far below the required 75% for induction into Cooperstown. If Kinsler’s real vote follows this pattern — with results set to be announced on Jan. 21 — he would be removed from the ballot for future years. Nevertheless, this would make the four-time All-Star the first Jewish player to garner any HOF votes since Shawn Green in 2013. Additionally, writer Levi Weaver presented a case for Kinsler to receive more votes than reflected in the fan input. Take a look.
A Jewish fan’s guide to the MLB Winter Meetings
L-R: Craig Breslow, Alex Bregman and Jeff Passan. (Getty Images; Allen Kee/ESPN Images)
If you’re enthusiastic about the baseball off-season — along with its accompanying rumors, speculation, and excitement — the Winter Meetings are unparalleled, featuring the yearly congregation of executives, athletes, and reporters that usually leads to substantial trades and major free-agent agreements.
This year’s Winter Meetings commence Monday in Dallas, showcasing several Jewish narratives to monitor.
While the most sought-after free agent this winter, slugger Juan Soto, isn’t Jewish, numerous key players in the competition for his signing are. A number of teams believed to be finalists for the generational talent — who may have signed by the time you read this — are directed by Jewish front office leaders: Craig Breslow of the Boston Red Sox, Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mark Shapiro of the Toronto Blue Jays, and David Stearns (as well as owner Steve Cohen) of the New York Mets. (Randy Levine serves as team president of the New York Yankees but does not oversee baseball operations.)
In addition to Soto, free agents Max Fried and Alex Bregman are among the most sought-after players on the market. Both are anticipated to receive lucrative contracts exceeding nine figures, with Bregman potentially surpassing $200 million. Joc Pederson, Kevin Pillar, and Rowdy Tellez are also in search of new contracts.
Fans will turn to journalists Jeff Passan of ESPN, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post, a trio of Jewish reporters regarded as the sport’s leading information sources.
Let the madness commence!
Jews in sports to keep an eye on this weekend (all times ET)
⚽ IN SOCCER…
Daniel Edelman and the New York Red Bulls will compete against the L.A. Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final Saturday at 4 p.m. In European soccer, Manor Solomon and Leeds United will host Derby County on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Matt Turner and his Premier League team Crystal Palace will host Man City Saturday at 10 a.m.
🏒 IN HOCKEY…
Quinn Hughes, Mark Friedman, and the Vancouver Canucks will face Jordan Harris and the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at 10 p.m. The Canucks assigned Max Sasson back to the AHL on Wednesday. Jason Zucker and the Buffalo Sabres will host Utah on Saturday at 1 p.m. Jake Walman, Luke Kunin, and the San Jose Sharks will take on the Florida Panthers Saturday at 6 p.m. Jack and Luke Hughes and the New Jersey Devils will face the Colorado Avalanche Sunday at 7 p.m. In the PWHL, Sam Cogan and the Toronto Sceptres will host the Minnesota Frost Saturday at 2 p.m. Aerin Frankel and the Boston Fleet will host Abbey Levy, Elle Hartje, and the New York Sirens Sunday at 4 p.m.
🏈 IN FOOTBALL…
Michael Dunn and the Cleveland Browns will go up against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at 1 p.m.
🏀 IN BASKETBALL…
Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers will host the Utah Jazz tonight at 10 p.m. and face the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday at 9:30 p.m. Domantas Sabonis, who is in the process of converting to Judaism, and the Sacramento Kings will compete against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at 8 p.m. and welcome the Jazz Sunday at 9 p.m. In the G League, Amari Bailey and the Long Island Nets will host the Delaware Blue Coats tonight at 7 p.m. and the College Park Skyhawks Sunday at 3 p.m.
⛳ IN GOLF…
Max Homa is participating in the Nedbank Golf Challenge this weekend in South Africa.
🏎 IN RACING…
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll will compete in the final Formula One race of the year, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on Sunday at 8 a.m. Stroll has accumulated 24 points this season, placing 13th in the driver standings and significantly lower than his previous total of 74 from last season.
Until next time!
That wraps up this week — thank you for reading, and enjoy your weekend!
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