Plus, the NFL season begins with no openly Jewish players.
Hello! The calendar flips to September this weekend, which means it’s officially football season. But before the NFL kicks off on Thursday, there’s big football — as in soccer — news expected for Israel.
The NFL season begins without an openly Jewish player
Greg Joseph kicks a field goal during a preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, Aug. 24, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Of all the professional sports leagues, the roster frenzy leading up to the regular season is perhaps most hectic in the NFL. Teams must reduce their rosters from 90 to 53 players, leading to a flurry of trades, cuts and other roster designations.
As I began writing this year’s Jewish NFL preview for JTA, it felt like our roster was also getting smaller by the day. Last year, five Jewish players appeared in an NFL game. As I checked the status of each leading into next week’s NFL season opener, they began dropping like flies.
- A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers running back, injured his neck and was placed on the injured reserve for the entire season.
- Anthony Firkser, a tight end who appeared with the Detroit Lions last season, was cut by the New York Jets.
- Jake Curhan, an offensive tackle who joined the Chicago Bears for this season, was cut from the team and then signed to its practice squad.
- Michael Dunn, an offensive lineman on the Cleveland Browns, was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list and is eligible to return after four games.
The last man standing was kicker Greg Joseph, who survived Tuesday’s roster deadline and won the Packers’ starting job. He was set to be the lone active openly Jewish player in Week 1.
Then, on Wednesday, the Packers cut Joseph. And then there were none.
All but Dillon have a shot to return to NFL action this season.
2024 Paralympic Scorecard
The 2024 Paralympics are underway in Paris — with a diverse lineup of Jewish and Israeli athletes to watch. Read on for results and a schedule for the weekend, with timing listed in Eastern Time and subject to change.
🥇 Israeli Asaf Yasur won gold Thursday in men’s K44 58-kilogram taekwondo.
🥇 Israeli Ami Dadaon won gold Friday in the men’s 100-meter freestyle S4. He set a Paralympic record in the heats for the event, adding to the world record he already owned.
👟 Ezra Frech, the U.S. track and field star, competes in the men’s long jump T63 final Saturday at 2:34 p.m.
🚣 Israeli two-time medalist Moran Samuel has advanced to the final in the PR1 women’s single sculls rowing competition, Sunday at 5:10 a.m.
🎾 Adam Berdichevsky, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack who served as one of Israel’s Paralympic flag bearers, won his first-round match in wheelchair tennis men’s singles this morning and will advance to the second round, which begins Sunday at 7 a.m.
Halftime report
I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING. Jewish Argentine tennis star Diego Schwartzman gave a teary farewell to the Grand Slam circuit this week as he lost his U.S. Open match three sets to one on Monday. Schwartzman, who announced in May that he plans to retire after his hometown Argentina Open next February, called the match “the kind of farewell that I always dreamed of.”
COMING ATTRACTIONS. As the MLB regular season heads into the home stretch, some are already turning their attention to the offseason, which features a star-studded free agency class. ESPN’s Jeff Passan offers his take on Jewish stars Max Fried and Alex Bregman, who could both be among the most highly sought-after players on the market this winter. Here’s Passan’s primer.
SPIN MASTER? Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Trent Thornton isn’t Jewish. So it understandably intrigued fans on social media when one X user pointed out that his official MLB bio lists his nickname as “The Big Dreidel.” Thornton’s spin rates do not rank particularly high among MLB pitchers, so perhaps he’s just a big fan of latkes?
SERENA SERVES UP HEBREW. Speaking of non-Jewish athletes with an apparent interest in Jewish tradition, tennis icon Serena Williams celebrated her daughter Adira’s first birthday this month. “Adira is a girl’s name of Hebrew origin and means ‘mighty,’ ‘strong,’ and ‘majestic,’” Williams wrote on Instagram.
MAZEL TOV. TV host Malika Andrews married fellow ESPN basketball journalist Dave McMenamin in a basketball-themed wedding in San Francisco last weekend that appeared to feature at least one Jewish practice: the “sheva brachot,” or seven blessings said under the chuppah.
Why FIFA could ban Israel from international soccer this week
Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub speaks during the 74th FIFA Congress, May 17, 2024, in Bangkok. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images)
This time last month, Israel’s national soccer team was in the midst of its return to Olympic competition after almost 50 years. Now, the country could be headed for a dry spell of a different kind.
Any day now, FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, is set to rule on a request by the Palestinian Football Association to temporarily bar the Israel Football Association from international competition over the Israel-Hamas war. Palestinian officials allege that Israel is committing violations of international law and running afoul of FIFA’s human rights policies.
FIFA has postponed its decision multiple times this year, including just days before the Paris Olympics — but has said it would issue a ruling by Aug. 31.
Israel has denied the accusations in the PFA’s claim, which IFA chief Moshe Zuares called a “cynical, political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian Association to harm Israeli football.”
Tap here for more on how this case came about and what the ban would mean for Israel.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend (all times ET)
🎾 IN TENNIS…
Russian-born American tennis player Sofia Kenin and her doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands have advanced to the third round in the U.S. Open women’s doubles tournament, which begins Sunday.
⚾ IN BASEBALL…
Max Fried takes the mound for the Atlanta Braves Saturday at 7:15 p.m. against Garrett Stubbs, Max Lazar and the Philadelphia Phillies. At 8:10 p.m. Saturday, Dean Kremer starts for the Baltimore Orioles as they face Jake Bird and the Colorado Rockies. Jared Shuster and the Chicago White Sox host Harrison Bader and the New York Mets in a three-game series this weekend. Team Israel alum Evan Kravetz and the Cincinnati Reds face the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend. Kravetz became the 16th Jewish player to appear in the league this season when he made his MLB debut Wednesday.
⚽ IN SOCCER…
Manor Solomon has joined Leeds United in the Championship, the second tier of British soccer, on a loan from Premier League squad Tottenham. The Israeli star’s new team hosts Hull City Saturday at 10 a.m. Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner could have a new team by the end of the weekend, as ESPN reports the USMNT starter has drawn interest from teams in England and Germany. In the MLS, Daniel Edelman and the New York Red Bulls host Tai Baribo and the Philadelphia Union Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Liel Abada’s Charlotte F.C. and DeAndre Yedlin’s F.C. Cincinnati also play Saturday at 7:30 p.m., while Zac MacMath’s Real Salt Lake takes the pitch at 9:30 p.m.
🏎 IN RACING…
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll races in the Formula One Italian Grand Prix Sunday at 9 a.m.
Sue Bird paves her own path
Sue Bird’s status as one of the greatest basketball players ever has long been established.
The Jewish hoops star, who retired in 2022, won two NCAA titles, four WNBA rings and five Olympic gold medals. She has rightfully earned an iconic status in Seattle, where she spent her entire WNBA career.
Now, Bird’s place in Seattle lore has been made even more permanent. Bird, who had her number retired by the Storm last year, now has a street named after her outside the team’s Climate Pledge Arena — a portion of the road leading to the stadium is now called “Sue Bird Court.”
