JewishSportsCollectibles

Sports Illustrated Cover Jews

Updated April 4, 2013

Jewish sports collectors who want to build a library of Sports Illustrated issues with MOTs on the cover have more than two dozen items on their shelves.

Below is a (hopefully!) complete list of Jews on SI covers. Please note, this list includes athletes like David Beckham and Pete Sampras, who have Jewish heritage but may not themselves be practicing Jews. 

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Baseball  

 

Ron Blomberg
July 2, 1973

Ryan Braun
August 29, 2011
March 31, 2008

Sandy Koufax
March 4, 1963
April 13, 1964
December 20, 1965
May 15, 1967
July 12, 1999
October 9, 2006

Al Rosen
April 18, 1955

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Basketball


Art Heyman
October 28, 1963

Ernie Grunfeld
February 9, 1976

Jon Scheyer
April 12, 2010

Jamila Wideman
March 17, 1997

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Football

Lyle Alzado
July 8, 1991

Jay Fiedler
October 1, 2001

Robert Kraft
February 6, 2012

Art Modell
December 4, 1995 

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Hockey

Matthieu Schneider
June 14, 1993

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Soccer

David Beckham
July 16, 2007

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Tennis

Boris Becker
September 18, 1989

Pete Sampras

July 11, 1994
July 14, 1997
September 17, 1990

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Olympic Sports

Sarah Hughes
March 4, 2002

Aly Raisman
July 23, 2012

Mark Spitz
July 22, 1968
September 4, 1972

Suzy Weiner (with Mark Spitz)
May 14, 1973

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Other

Charles Goren (bridge) 
Oct. 14, 1957
May 23, 1960

Bob and Bus Mosbacher (sailing)
May 18, 1959

Toots Shor (restaurateur)
July 27, 1959

Howard Cosell (sportscaster)
August 8, 1983

Bar Refeali (swimsuit model)
February 11, 2009

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Did I miss any Jewish SI cover figures ? Disagree with any of the listings? Let JewishSportsCollectibles.com know by commenting below.

Visit Sports Illustrated's Classic Cover Collection if you're interested in buying photo reproductions of any of the above Sports Illustrated covers. eBay and Amazon.com are a good source for purchasing hard copies of SI back issues.

Recapping Garry Kasparov's St. Louis Appearance

A follow-up to JewishSportsCollectibles.com's March 29 posting on Jewish chess champion Garry Kasparov's appearance at Washington University in St. Louis.

According to the university's media web site, Kasparov's spent April 2 on campus for a variety of appearances.

"[Kasparov's] day started in Graham Chapel, where he gave advice on outmaneuvering opponents in politics and business. After the talk, Kasparov participated in a reception with the first 50 people to line up in the Women’s Building, where he signed autographs and posed for pictures. First-year law student Mustafa Ali was selected to play chess with Kasparov. To teach strategy, Kasparov let two children finish the game for him."

For another photo, a video of Kasparov playing chess, and more details on the grand master's day in St. Louis, check out this Student Life (Washington University's student newspaper) article about his visit.

Did any JSC readers in the St. Louis area get to see Kasparov speak? 

Do you have any the grand master's books or memorabilia in your collection? Wondering what's available? Check out this review of Kasparov's memorabilia and books published by Jewish Sports Collectibles in 2010.

Photo by Sid Hasting, courtesy Washington University in St. Louis.

Chess Champ Garry Kasparov to Speak in St. Louis

Jewish chess champ Garry Kasparov is scheduled to speak at Washington University in St. Louis at 4:30 p.m. (Central) on April 2.

According to a press release from the University:

"Garry Kasparov, considered the best chess player of all time, a champion of democracy in Russia and a world-renowned financial expert, will offer advice on outmaneuvering opponents in politics and business at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis.

Following his talk, there will be a 30-minute question-and-answer session, also in Graham Chapel, and a 45-minute reception and chess demonstration
in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. 

His talk, “Making Use of Strategic Thinking in Business and Politics,” will focus on strategic interactions of economic and political interests in the tumultuous global economy.

Kasparov, the founder of the democratic political party “The Other Russia” and a 2007 candidate for the presidency of Russia, also will address the current instability in Russia.

Following his talk, there will be a 30-minute question-and-answer session, also in Graham Chapel, and a 45-minute reception and chess demonstration in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. 

His talk, “Making Use of Strategic Thinking in Business and Politics,” will focus on strategic interactions of economic and political interests in the tumultuous global economy."

For more details about Kasparov's speaking engagement, email washuchess@gmail.com. 

In 2010, Jewish Sports Collectibles posted a review of Kasparov's memorabilia and books.

Do  any JSC readers have the grand master's memorabilia in your collection? Anyone in the St. Louis area planning to see Kasparov speak?

The University's web site states that no video taping of Kasparov's speech is allowed, but if you're planning to go and take pictures, please consider sharing them with JSC!
 

Checkmate: Collecting Garry Kasparov

A recent promotional email from VeryFineBooks.com, a site that specializes in (among other things) the sale of Easton Press books, mentioned chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov.

The sales pitch got me thinking (always a dangerous thing!). I'm not sure if I consider chess players "athletes," but there are a surprising (to me!) number of collectibles associated with the game. As such, it seems fair game for coverage here.

For those who may not be well-versed in chess, a bit of background ... Garry Kasparov (born Garry Weinstein to a Jewish father, according to Neil Keller's who's Jewish web site), is "widely considered to be the greatest player that ever lived."

Kasparov is the author of numerous books on chess (for a detailed list, see Wikipedia), most are available through Amazon.com. For collectors willing to pay a premium for authenticity and personalization, Kasparov's web site offers signed and autographed and inscribed books for sale. The site offers a variety of other items -- including hats, mugs, t-shirts, DVDs, chess sets and and games (these are not available signed).

Kasparov also has a wide range of philatelic collectibles available. On eBay, these include stamps and first day covers from countries around the globe. I'm not a stamp collector, and claim no expertise here, but I find the postal collectibles to be visually striking and colorful. There is also something appealing about the cross-over nature of the collectibles.

A search for Kasparov on eBay (also try searching for "Gary Kasparov") reveals myriad other collectibles, including signed photos, "chess pins" that commemorate matches, and a "League of Nations" 1990 trading card.

Do you have any Garry Kasparov memorabilia in your collection? Have you ever met the grand master? What about other Jewish chess players?

Photo of Kasparov and book courtesy: http://www.kasparovagent.com/photo_gallery.php.