The Jewish Sport Report: Orthodox college football player Sam Salz is on a mission to inspire

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Happy Friday! In this week’s Jewish Sport Report, we profile Orthodox college football player Sam Salz, invite you to an exciting Jewish sports event next month and share hall of fame updates across multiple sports.

Let’s dive right in.

Inside Orthodox player Sam Salz’s historic college football debut — and his improbable path to the SEC

Before Nov. 16, Sam Salz had never played a snap of organized football. The 5-foot-6, 160-pound wide receiver grew up attending an Orthodox day school in Philadelphia that didn’t have a football team.

But last Saturday night, Salz took the field for the first time with the Texas A&M Aggies, the No. 15-ranked team in Division I and a decorated program that plays in the elite Southeastern Conference.

Salz walked me through his first taste of football, and what it meant to hear his name called for a play as the Aggies routed New Mexico State 38-3.

“There’s probably a Jewish kid, and maybe even especially an Orthodox kid, who wants to play football, or wants to play sports, and is sitting somewhere confused about what he should do, or who’s told that he’ll never be able to do it,” Salz said. “Even getting to see me run down on that field, successful play or not, could have given him all the hope that he wanted.”

Click here for Salz’s remarkable story.

Halftime report

COOPERSTOWN CALLING? Longtime second baseman and former Team Israel player-turned-manager Ian Kinsler is on the 2025 MLB Hall of Fame ballot, making him the first Jewish player to make the ballot since Kevin Youkilis in 2019. Kinsler is a 4-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and 2018 World Series champion. Getting on the ballot is itself an accomplishment — even if his chances at making it to Cooperstown alongside the likes of fellow first-balloteer Ichiro Suzuki appear slim.

DEFLATED. One prominent Jew who will definitely not be enshrined in a hall of fame in 2025 is New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who, according to ESPN, was not selected for the 2025 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Kraft, one of the league’s most influential owners and a six-time Super Bowl winner, failed to advance out of the hall’s nomination committee for the 13th time. Ralph Hay, a co-founder of the NFL, was chosen instead.

HONORED. More on halls of fame! Former NHL star Mathieu Schneider was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in New York last weekend. Schneider, who scored 223 goals across 21 seasons in the league, said being a Jewish pro athlete “meant an awful lot to me.”

LISTEN TO THIS. U.S. rugby bronze medalist Sarah Levy appeared on the Women of Reform Judaim’s “Just For This” podcast, which highlights women in leadership positions. Check out the interview here, and for a refresher, here’s our profile of Levy from this past summer.

HOLDING COURT. The Israel Tennis and Education Centers Foundation raised half a million dollars at a fundraiser Tuesday in New York City to benefit the organization’s work supporting Israeli children across socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. The ITEC, which has more than 200 courts across Israel, has expanded its work since Oct. 7, 2023.

Jews in sports to watch this weekend (all times ET)

🏒 IN HOCKEY…

Jakob Chychrun and the Washington Capitals host Jack and Luke Hughes and the New Jersey Devils Saturday at 7 p.m. Jason Zucker — who scored his 200th career goal Wednesday — and the Buffalo Sabres face Jake Walman, Luke Kunin and the San Jose Sharks Saturday at 8 p.m. Zach Hyman and the Edmonton Oilers host Adam Fox and the New York Rangers Saturday at 10 p.m.

🏈 IN FOOTBALL…

Michael Dunn’s Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 last night on “Thursday Night Football.” In the NCAA, Jake Retzlaff and No. 14 BYU face No. 21 Arizona State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Sam Salz and Texas A&M play Auburn Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

⚽ IN SOCCER…

Daniel Edelman and the New York Red Bulls face their crosstown rivals, New York City F.C., at Citi Field in the MLS conference semifinals on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. In European soccer, Matt Turner and his Premier League club Crystal Palace play Aston Villa Saturday at 10 a.m., and one level down, in the Championship, Manor Solomon and Leeds United take on Swansea Sunday at 10 a.m.

🏀 IN BASKETBALL…

Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers face the Houston Rockets tonight at 8 p.m. in the NBA Cup and Saturday at 8 p.m. in regular season play. Domantas Sabonis, who is converting to Judaism, and the Sacramento Kings play the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at 10:30 p.m. in the NBA Cup and host the Brooklyn Nets Sunday at 9 p.m. in regular play.

⛳ IN GOLF…

Daniel Berger is competing in the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic tournament this weekend in Georgia.

🏎 IN RACING…

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll will be on the grid this weekend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Lights out at 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Join us for an online event to mark the 75th anniversary of a remarkable Jewish basketball championship

On Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. ET, I will sit down (virtually) with Matthew Goodman, author of “The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team,” to discuss the 75th anniversary of the City College of New York’s extraordinary 1949-50 basketball championship — and the point-shaving scandal that rocked the sport in its aftermath.

The CUNY Beavers, a team made up entirely of Jewish and African-American players at a time when the NBA was still segregated, became the only team in history to win the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year.

Click here for more information and to register for our free online event.