Very often people reach a point in their lives when the things they’re passionate about inevitably become intertwined with their faith or the way they spend their lives intersects with their spirituality. On Sunday, April 3, at 10:30 a.m., Sports Illustrated senior editor and Princeton Junction resident Dick Friedman presents “The All-Stars of David,” a talk about Jewish-American athletes at Chabad of the Windsors. The presentation is designed to spark lively discussion about the role of Jewish athletes in American sports. “It’s about the many Jewish athletes, well-known and some not-so-well- known, in America,” says Friedman. “Lots of people don’t associate being Jewish with being an athlete, but there have been many, and many have been great.”
One of Friedman’s favorite stories is about Detroit Tigers’ power hitter Hank Greenberg, who played in the 1930s. “Greenberg had to debate whether or not to sit out over the high holy days,” says Friedman. “Of course, the high holy days always show up right around the time of the pennant race, and if you’re an important player, it can have an adverse impact on your team. So Greenberg made the call — he played on Rosh Hashanah, which many rabbis thought was okay, but sat out on Yom Kippur.” But how’d the Tigers do? “The Tigers won the pennant anyways,” Friedman says.
Friedman majored in history at Harvard University and graduated in 1973. He and his wife, Meryl, a lawyer and professor of law at Villanova, have lived in Princeton Junction for 21 years and moved here to be close to both New York and Philadelphia. They have one daughter Leah, 27, a graduate of Johns Hopkins and an international business project manager at Rovi Corporation, a technology company in Philadephia.
Friedman worked at TV Guide in the ’80s, then moved to People magazine, a Time Inc. publication. In 1994, after he had been there several years, there was a three-month editor exchange involving several magazines at Time Inc., during which he went to SI in a newly created position, “sort of a trade,” he says, that has now stretched to 17 years .
During his tenure at SI, Friedman has edited coverage of the NBA, college football, and baseball and edited the Golf Plus section, in addition to managing the Scorecard section and editing SI’s coffee-table publications on basketball and college football.
His job has afforded him the opportunity to cover a wide variety of events. When asked about his favorite stories he says, “When the old Boston Garden closed in 1995, Lou Montville and I collaborated on a farewell story. And this past September, I wrote a piece about attending the very first game the Patriots played in 1960 when I was nine years old, for [the team’s] 50th anniversary. “The differences between then and now are pretty striking. It’s kind of a fond reminiscence.”
That fondness and passion are a big part of Friedman’s continuing love for sports writing and editing. In his capacity as an editor, he says, “Especially when you work with the caliber of writers we do at Sports Illustrated, you’re constantly surprised at how they put stories together, and perhaps the best thing you can do is really be an appreciator and try to suggest some things. I think that’s my favorite thing to do — working with these writers to try to make a superior story that much better. You feel a lot of pride and satisfaction when that really happens. It’s not that important that the public knows about [your contribution]; it’s about making the piece the best it can really be, and letting it shine.”
He also underscores the importance of sports in daily life. “Sports divert people from weightier concerns, especially in difficult economic times,” says Friedman. “It gives something for people to take their mind off the woes of society. I’ve been kind of amazed at the way the sports industry has held up in this recession. In some ways, you can almost say it’s been one of the things that has kept money being spent during the recession. Economically it definitely makes a contribution. And of course, a sports event is a great social event, especially at colleges. When your team is doing well, it really can bring everyone together.”
Friedman traces his love of sports back to his childhood, growing up in Newton, MA, a suburb of Boston. His father, an executive at a textiles company, was the sports editor of the Michigan Daily at the University of Michigan. “He was the one who really influenced me in terms of sports,” says Friedman. His mother was a housewife. “Obviously, when you’re growing up, you want to be a player. I realized early on that that wasn’t going to happen. And like everybody, Sports Illustrated came into my house around when I was 11 or 12. I knew I wanted to write [for it].”
From there, Friedman’s Boston upbringing continued to foster his passion. “Growing up in Boston, you’re exposed to so many sports,” says Friedman. “I grew up watching the Boston Celtics in the ’60s. Of course they had Bill Russell, the greatest defensive player in history, but how they won eight years in a row wasn’t always because they had the best talent. It’s because they were the smartest team out there. It really influenced me and how I’ve looked at sports my whole life.”
Friedman still has a soft spot for teams that comprise tacticians and thinkers. “It’s great to be able to watch games. I’ve always been interested in the inner game — what’s going on in terms of strategies and tactics, what’s going on internally. I’m fascinated by football players who are cerebral, who seem to be able to figure things out and be in the right position. I’ve always been really interested in that — how teams that may not be the best talent-wise are really able to mesh as a team.”
Friedman also has a particular enjoyment of golf. “At this point in my life, golf is the one I can still play,” says Friedman with a laugh.
He says he hopes that his audience leaves the April 3 event with a stronger understanding of Jewish-Americans in sports. “Sports have been a really vital part of the lives of the Jewish people of the United States,” says Friedman. “We’re not always associated with athletics. We’re associated with a lot of other things but the plain fact is we’ve had a lot of great figures in the world of sports, and they definitely deserve their day in the sun. And like all other ethnic and religious groups in the United States, they’ve contributed an essential part of the American story.”
So, in the spirit of the classic sports presentation gimmicks, who are Dick Friedman’s top 10 Jewish athletes?
1. Hank Greenberg, 1930s and ’40s Hall of Fame slugger
2. Sandy Koufax, 1950s and ’60s Hall of Fame pitcher
3. Benny Friedman (no relation), 1920s and ’30s Hall of Fame quarterback
4. Mark Spitz, 1970s U.S. gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer
5. Benny Leonard, 1910s and ’20s lightweight boxing champion
6. Sid Luckman, 1930s and ’40s Hall of Fame quarterback
7. Agnes Keleti, 1940s and ’50s Hungarian Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast
8. Sarah Hughes, 2000s U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater
9. Dolph Schayes, 1950s and ’60s Hall of Fame basketball player
10. Oksana Baiul, 1990s Russian Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater
Educational Program Series, Chabad of the Windsors, 1300 Windsor-Edinburg Road, West Windsor. Sunday, April 3, 10:30 a.m. “The All-Stars of David” presented by Dick Friedman, senior editor of Sports Illustrated. Discussion and refreshments follow. Register. $5 donation. 609-448-9369 or www.chabadwindsor.com.
Also, Baseball Experience with Ron Blomberg, Mercer County Waterfront park, home of the Trenton Thunder, Trenton, Sunday, April 3, 3 to 9 p.m. Presented by JCC Princeton-Mercer-Bucks. Tour the stadium, hit in the batting cage, and meet Ron Blomberg: 9-18-year-olds with an adult, 3 to 5:30 p.m. $50. Meet and greet with Blomberg, 6 to 6:45 p.m.: baseball food, photo and autograph opportunities. $36. Screening of “Jews and Baseball” with Q&A with Blomberg, 7 to 9 p.m. $18. $95 all inclusive package. Limited space for all events. Register at 609-219-9550 or E-mail jccprograms@jcctoday.org.
