Obviously I read about sports that are not Jewish themed as well. And while I get much nachas from our Jewish sports heroes, there are always those moments that I say “I wish he was Jewish.” Maybe it would bring me more pride. Not sure why I actually do it, probably so I had more to write about. So I decided to come up with a list of athletes who are NOT Jewish, but I wish for the Jewish people they were.
10) Landon Donovan – Israelis love soccer almost as much a hummus. This soccer star would mean a lot to the Jewish people, especially Israelis. Donovan’s excitement and skills would bea nice addition to the Jewish people.
9) Anthony Parker – Parker, who now plays for the Cleveland Caveliers, gained his fame in Israel while playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv. He but Israeli basketball back on the map and now sports the number 18 for Chai. There are plenty of days that go by that I just wish Parker was a Jew.
8) Prince Fielder – If Fielder leaves the Brew Crew he might not make this list. But could you imagine the pride and attention Braun and Fielder would get if they were batting back to back. What a Jewish duo they could have been.
7) Serena and Venus Williams – I am placing these two together, if one was Jewish the other would have to be…goes with being sisters. The reason is simple, they are the best women athletes probably in the world. And with few female Jewish sports stars, these two would bring plenty of pride for young Jewish females. Right now they really only rely on Sue Bird (father Jewish), Nancy Lieberman (people question), and Sha’ar Peer.
6) Josh Hamilton – The reason Hamilton is on here is because of his come back. Sure it would be great to have one of the best players in baseball. But I think his recovery story is a great one and very teachable in the Jewish world.
5) Rod Carew and Frank Thomas – This one is simple. They both married Jewish women. It would have been nice to have had those two convert and join thetribe. Their kids will be Jewish, but it would’ve been nice to have these two on our all time list.
4) Brock Lesnar – The man is just a beast. As the UFC Champion I think it would be awesome to have the toughest guy out there on our side. We have a lot of love for Yuri Foreman, but Lesnar would represent a whole other form of domination.
3) Roger Goodell – The would complete the series. We have Stern (NBA), Selig (MLB), and Bettman (NHL). The addition of the NFL commissioner would be nice.
2) Derek Jeter – It would only make sense that NY Yankees have a great Jewish ball player. Jeter fits the bill. Active. Captain. Great. Jeter is almost the perfect choice.
1) Amare Stoudemire – With all the hype this summer, don’t we all wish it was true. Amare cares about Judaism, moved to New York and visited Israel. Perfect scenario. So this Jew at heart becomes really Jewish and we have a dominate tribesman in the NBA. Even I would root for the Knicks (not over the Bulls).
Love to hear your thoughts.
And Let Us Say…Amen
-Jeremy Fine
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