Beyond Stereotypes : American Jews and Sports

In The Decades After The Civil War, Sports Slowly Gained A Prominent Position Within American Culture. This Development Provided Jews With Opportunities To Participate In One Of The Few American Cultures Not Closed Off To Them. Jewish Athleticism Challenged Anti-semitic Depictions Of Jews' Supposed Physical Inferiority And An Americanization Narrative Emerged That Connected Jewish Athleticism With Full Acceptance And Integration Into American Society. This Acceptance Was Not Without Struggle, But Jews Succeeded And Participated In The American Sporting Culture As Athletes, Coaches, Owners, And Fans. The Contributions To This Volume Paint A Broad Picture Of Jewish Participation In Sports, With Essays Written By Respected Historians Who Examine The Impact Of Sport On Judaism. Despite The Continued Belief That Jewish Religious Or Cultural Identity Remains Somehow Distinct From The American Idea Of The Athlete, The Volume Demonstrates That American Jews Have Made A Tremendous Contribution To American Sports, And That Sports Have Helped Construct American Jewish Culture And Identity. A Stack Of Jewish Baseball Cards : Some Thoughts On Jews And The Roles They Have Played In The Major Leagues / Joseph Dorinson -- Racial Attitudes Toward Jews In The Negro Leagues : The Case Of Effa Manley / Rebecca Alpert -- American Jewish Women On The Court : Seeking An Identity In Tennis In The Early Decades Of The Twentieth Century / Linda J. Borish -- Answering To A Different Authority In Sports : The Trials Of Coach Jonathan Halpert And The Limits Of Yeshiva University's Athletic Success In Basketball / Jeffrey S. Gurock -- The Disadvantage Far Outweights The Benefits : How The Rise And Fall Of The Jewish Game At The 92nd Street Ymha Exemplified Jewish Conceptions Of Athleticism / Ari F. Sclar -- From Suburbanites To Sabras And Back : How Jewish Americans Established Lacross In Israel / Neil Kramer. Bruce Zuckerman, Editor ; Ari F. Sclar, Guest Editor ; Lisa Ansell, Associate Editor. Issued As Part Of Upcc Book Collections On Project Muse. Includes Bibliographical References. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.