Post-Super Bowl Expectations for Israel

You've been following the exploits of the Israel Football League here, and the game my son plays at defense (even when he wasn't at defense last week, the Jerusalem Lions won its last game 62 - 0 against the Troopers of Petah Tikva at the Kraft Stadium and pics here

).

Well, this is good news:

It turns out DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, has a soft spot for Israel and “would love to bring 15 of our players out there to help boost the growth of football in the Holy Land.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell concurred.

“That would be a special trip that I’d love to take part in,” he remarked, likely without realizing that he was going to be held to this “promise.”

That comes from the report from Indiannappolis by the IFL Commissioner who also informed us that

I have to get to sleep. I have to make it on time for minyan with the Krafts – Robert has to say Kaddish – at 9 a.m....Mr. Kraft somehow never fails to impress. (“It’s not that I’m such a religious or observant person, and I am not so strict on saying Kaddish for my sweetheart every day, but I want to demonstrate to my children and my grandchildren that even on day as big as this, the things that are important in life take priority.”)

A previous report here.
Who says Jews aren't good at sports?

And playing football in Israel has advantages:

A Toms River native was scoring big abroad, twice named the all-Israel Football League defensive end for his stint with the Tel Aviv Pioneers, a football team in Israel.

Jason Gosnell garnered these impressive football accolades, but his work in Israel was primarily to study and practice law...According to the Rutgers Focus, who published a featured story on Gosnell, he is driven by intellectual pursuits. This path led him back to Rutgers after his six years in Israel. He's now pursuing a Master's degree in the new Department of Jewish Studies program offered on the New Brunswick campus.

And a quiz - what sport and where does Israel Folau play?

Answer.


P.S.

Remember this (via Carl)?

Thanks to the unending generosity of Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his wife Myra, American Football has turned into one of the fastest growing sports in the country. [I want to stop there and add something. Whenever the Krafts come to Israel, they sponsor a get-together for all the Bostonians who are here on youth programs. That's what the kids tell me. I envy them. No one did that for us when I was in yeshiva here. CiJ] Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem is home to over 1,000 football players in four leagues.

Youth programs are now operating all over the country and even a new tackle football league has gotten off the ground.

Kraft Family Stadium was constructed in 1999. The Krafts gave another donation in 2005 to re-dedicate the facility with state of the art Fieldturf. Robert Kraft spoke at the re-dedication in Hebrew, and told the audience that "before building the field in Jerusalem, the Patriots had never won a Super Bowl. Since building the field we have three championships."

He then looked toward the heavens and said, "This could not have been by chance."

^