‘Unorthodox’ Book Of ‘Jewish Jocks’ Puts Stereotypes Aside

There have been a number of books about great Jewish athletes, starring legendary baseball players like Sandy Koufax or Hank Greenberg, the “Hebrew Hammer.” But a new book doesn’t focus only on Jewish players — it looks at the myriad ways Jews have contributed to the American athletic landscape. Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame is a collection of essays compiled and edited by Franklin Foer and Marc Tracy of The New Republic magazine.

Foer and Tracy join NPR’s Linda Wertheimer to discuss the rise of Jews in big-league sports.

Interview Highlights

On how their book is different from other books about Jewish athletes