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BY DANNY BRESLAUER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
It is a polarizing topic considered taboo by many in the professional fields surrounding sports. It is included within unalienable rights for any United States citizen. But in sports, it is looked at as either an anomaly or something to keep under wraps.
The "it" is religion and around the intersection of two faiths' major holidays (Islam's Ramadan and Judaism's Rosh Hashanah), it is re-examined in the context of sports.
We often hear about an athlete having to deal with fasting during Ramadan (see Minnesota Vikings safety Husain Abdullah) or longing for Easters and Christmases at home with the family. But in sports, it is glossed over and considered part of the job. As someone who grew up in a Jewish household, I often heard about the 1965 World Series. The story of legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax sitting out Game 1 for the Los Angeles Dodgers because it fell on the High Holiday of Yom Kippur is one that inspired me in both my early athletic endeavors and into my young broadcasting career.To this day, I have not played in a game or announced an event on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, in large part due to the lesson that Sandy's actions taught me. But in sports, this is still seen as abnormal.
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I'm not here to preach about how people should be more observant or study religion's deep and complex interaction with sports. I would be a hypocrite to take that stance as I have not devoted my life wholeheartedly to religion but do respect its lessons and applications. But in sports, many athletes, front office members, broadcasters and journalists feel pressured to keep their religious beliefs as far away from the higher-ups as possible.
A couple of years ago, I was at a charity dinner where I received the opportunity to meet Suzyn Waldman. In a discussion I had with her, the topic of Judaism came up when she saw my name tag and recognized the root of the German town that my father's family came from. She explained to me how it took her years to get off for Jewish Holidays because management at stations wasn't always sympathetic to the idea despite her requests.
In most professions, that would be considered heinous. But in sports, it's a day in the life.
Whether or not an outlet or team would consider it acceptable for its employee to take off for a religious holiday is not the problem. The problem is that many in this field still feel uncomfortable bringing up the topic to their superiors.
In today's America, we should be tolerant and accepting. We should respect those that believe it's important to observe a religious holiday. The operative word there is "should."
But in sports, things are always a little different.
Danny Breslauer can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can follow Danny on Twitter at @DannyBresRU
