Friday night lights? They ain’t for the Holy Days, that’s for sure.

It happens all the time, so I’m not exactly sure why this comes as “newsworthy”: high school football games are traditionally held on Friday night. So why are they making a big deal about the High Holidays? I always thought Shabbat took priority over any holiday, so why not an uproar by Jewish athletes, parents, spiritual leaders, etc., the rest of the year?

It brings to mind an episode of the old Bill Cosby series in which he played a public school gym teacher. In this one, he was coaching a youth baseball team and the best player was Jewish and could not play in the big game on Saturday. His teammates didn’t understand and initially resented him because he was their big pitcher (if memory serves), but they eventually “learned a valuable lesson” about priorities.

That kind of stuff only happens on TV — in the 1970s. Nowadays, all sports are big businesses. Each years the age level drops more and more;  just look at how ESPN and ABC broadcast the Little League World Series. So don’t look for any empathy from those in charge to change the rules any time soon, especially in those sports where Jewish representation is minuscule.

According to the linked article, “Football is generally considered a Friday night activity,” he said. “Traditionally, high school football takes place then, and we’re not going to reschedule for (a religious holiday) because there’s no provision for it from the FHSAA.”

But let’s be honest, for an administrator to say that an athlete wouldn’t be penalized for missing a game because of an issue of faith, that’s kind of disingenuous:

Again from the article:

“We’ve had this conversation before about being sensitive to any student who has a religious holiday they want to observe,” he said. “All the athletic directors and principals are aware that if a student-athlete chooses to observe a religious holiday, they would be excused with no penalty or consequences. Usually, if you’re on a sports team and you skip a game, there are consequences.” (emphasis added)

You never know how a coach or your teammates will treat you, especially at that age when that maturity level might not be quite up there yet.

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Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports © 2009 New Jersey Jewish News

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