The case for Baseball in Israel

Recently Yishai presented seven reasons why baseball is essentially evil and why bringing it to Israel will harm the Jewish nation. Of course these reasons are all nothing more than pure nonsense. (If I'm being unnecessarily harsh it's to match the tone of the original article.)

Read on!


Yishai claims baseball will make Israelis get fat because they will only watch baseball and not play it. His proof is that "America is a country of overweight watchers, not healthy players." What Yishai is forgetting is that this is Israel and not America. Do Israelis watch soccer and not play it? Do Israelis watch basketball and not play it? Of course they play them! There are games going on 24 hours a day in Gan Saker. The culture of Israel is to be active and introducing another sport will only encourage more activity. The IBL started a baseball camp this summer with hundreds of Israeli kids learning the ins and outs of baseball.

The second ridiculous reason offered is that the players will get paid millions while the teachers get paid pennies. Once again I remind our readers we are talking about Israel and not America. Yossi Benayoun was Israelis highest paid player... I say was because, well, he wasn't making millions of dollars here and he wanted millions of dollars. To get it he had to leave Israel. Israel does that. She spits out just about anyone that wants only money. Israeli baseball players could never make anywhere near the money Major League players like A-Rod get simply because the teams would never be able to earn enough money. Today IBL players make a measly $1000 each - for the entire season.

Vayikra 18:3 - "Bechukoteyehem Lo Teleichu" is the third reason that baseball is evil. Yishai claims that when Rashi writes "their stadiums" and "their theaters" he means sports not just Roman-fighting. But there is no basis for that claim and no source was cited to support it. Indeed the Romans were not known to have any non-violent public sports at all. There may be some modern day poskim that posken this way (though I am not aware of any) however I do know that Kehillat Ohr Shalom in RBS has arranged a group trip to a Blue Sox game where the Rabbi, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, shlita, has been invited to throw out the first ball. Seems at least he doesn't learn Rashi the way Yishai does.

Reason number four was an interesting one that was similar to number three. Namely that Baseball is not a "Jewish thing" because there are no rabbinic sources "lauding going to or watching professional sports." Well guess what? There are no rabbinic sources "lauding" listening to a radio show either! Or reading a web blog! Just because the gentiles do something doesn't inherently make it something evil. As for a rabbinic source see my response to number three. At least one Rabbi is bringing his congregation to a game.

Yishai fifth was that 60% of the players are goyim. I say so what? Just because they are goyim they are evil? I for one don't subscribe to that notion. There are very many good goyim in the world and the Torah even allows for goyim under the right circumstances to live in Israel - which by the way - none of the non-Jewish players are doing. That said the IBL has declared on the record their intention to have majority of the players be native Israelis. That's one of the reasons for the baseball summer camps - to get Israeli youngsters playing baseball so Israelis can enjoy watching the local talent.

The sixth reason Yishai gave is imbecilic. No, really! Baseball is bittul Torah? By that logic so is listening to the radio and eating. Forget sleeping! Yes, Yishai you were right when you wrote "we all need relaxation and entertainment" and an outing at a baseball game is just that - relaxation and entertainment in a nice clean kosher family atmosphere. Many - actually most - of the games actually coincide with all Yeshiva Gedolah's bein hazmanim. Ask any Rosh Yeshiva. It is a mitzvah to take a break from a rigid Torah learning schedule to help one feel refreshed and learn better when the new zman commences. That's why every Yeshiva in the world has a bein hazmanim. I could think of a lot worse ways bochrim could spend their bein hazmanim.

I didn't quite understand the seventh and final reason that baseball in Israel is evil. It was that since sports could be followed on cable television and on the Internet, "why bring this thing to Israel?" This I don’t get! Going out to a baseball game with the family is evil but bringing into the home the disgusting images that are featured on cable television, not to mention the Internet, are not a problem? Baseball is evil but the Internet is not? Sorry Yishai, but that is a very fat pitch!

We should be very thankful that the IBL has arrived in this young nation and we should give it our blessing and wish it much success. It will hopefully help the economy here and will make life in Israel more enjoyable for Israelis and for thousands of Olim that dreaded never again being able to ask Dad to take them out to the ballgame!