March Madness

The Auburn Tigers are going to the Final Four, the coveted final rounds of the annual March Madness, NCAA College Championship Basketball.  For the first time, three of the final four teams have Jewish head coaches, a statistical unlikelihood.

But for Auburn’s Coach, Bruce Pearl, being in the spotlight as a Jew is much more than interesting trivia, it is an opportunity he refuses to squander.

Earlier in the tournament, after his Auburn Tigers defeated Creighton, sitting in front of countless reporters in a postgame press conference that would be seen by millions, Coach Pearl opened not by talking about the game or about basketball at all, but rather—with the permission of his players—by invoking the name of Edan Alexander, the 19-year-old Israeli-American held hostage in Gaza:

I get asked a lot how this basketball program has become so competitive over the last eight years. But for me, I believe it was God’s plan to give us this success – success beyond what we deserve. To give us this platform. To give me an opportunity to start this conference really briefly and remind the world that Edan Alexander is still held hostage in Gaza right now… Bring the hostages home.

Coach Pearl invited Edan’s parents and family to the next game and continued to highlight the plight of the American held hostage in Gaza and all the other hostages as well. He challenged all of America to know Edan’s name and fight until he is released.

Later in that same press conference, he came back to the topic of Israel and what it means to be an American Jew:

This Jewish American loves his country more than anything else. At the same time, Israel is our ancestral homeland and it’s under attack. It’s under siege. All it wants to do is live in peace with its neighbors.  And, you know what, there are some Arab countries that are actually wanting peace with Israel right now, but there is a segment of the population there in the Middle East who have been doing nothing but attacking Israel for 85 years. October 7 was the worst day since the Holocaust for the Jewish people, and they [Hamas] say they want to do it again and again and again. We have Americans that are held hostage in Gaza right now. It’s unacceptable.

If you’ve been following Pearl for the last several years, you know it is nothing new.  He tweets almost daily to his 165,000 followers about Israel, antisemitism, and good versus evil.  He isn’t afraid to risk turning off fans, criticism from his university or its supporters, or even his job, to stand up as a proud Jew and to speak about what he believes in.

A few years ago, he even brought his Auburn team to Israel, a trip coordinated by the amazing organization Athletes for Israel.  In recognition of his devotion and dedication to Israel and the Jewish people, I had the privilege to join Athletes for Israel and NCSY in giving him and his team an award on the Auburn court before the opening game of their season a couple years ago.

Where does Coach Pearl’s courage and conviction come from?   How does he have the strength to speak out when too many others are silent?

Three years ago, at a March Madness press conference, Coach Pearl used the opportunity to talk about the war in Ukraine and the threat of Iran to Israel and the story of Purim. He spoke about how his parents named him Mordechai and he feels a responsibility like his ancestor to speak up for and fight for the Jewish people.

Soon after, we hosted him on our shul’s podcast to better understand his background and what motivated him to use that moment and platform for our cause. Here are some highlights from that conversation:

BTB:  How do your Judaism and faith impact your coaching?

CBP: When I was a little younger I thought it was me, the great coach and the great motivator, and as I got as I’ve gotten older I realized, no, it’s simply God using me in the position and to affect others and affect young people and it’s all about Him and my service to Him.  And so, the secret sauce for Auburn basketball and our run to the Final Four and winning championships throughout the last five years if I could get my guys to simply do the things that God would have them do what is He going to at least put yourself in position and be blessed.

BTB: What gave you the courage to speak up?

CBP: When I was 15 years old and I was a freshman in high school I was the best athlete in town. I was the first kid picked on the playground the first kid picked for everything and then I had a career-ending injury.  When I say “career-ending,” I had a really bad knee injury and I was never the same athlete and I honestly believe that God said, “There’s way more to you Mordechai than just being the best athlete.”  I wasn’t kind to people, I was very limited in my friend population.  I thought a lot of myself.  I dominated you. I embarrassed you.  Because I could.  Because I was stronger than you and I wasn’t as nice.

And now all of a sudden when I could no longer be that athlete it was painful, there were a lot of friends that were happy that the king got knocked off the hill but I didn’t quit and I got in the school musical and I became the class president and I’m like God, these other kids that aren’t very good athletes but they’re awesome, they’re so much fun, they’re so cool, they’re so talented.  And then I became a champion for the underdog all of a sudden.

Now I was still tough and like “You ain’t gonna, you’re not, you’re not messing with these kids that aren’t athletes that are just the bandies that are acting diminished, you got to go through me right now.” I could still put my hands up and fight, I was going to be their champion, and so it just exposed me to more: there was more to life than just my ability to beat you on the basketball court or hit a home run. You know I believe these things happen for a reason and I want to be at my best when things are at the worst and I want to prepare my teams to also be at their best when things are at their worst.

BTB: Do you pay a price for standing up for Israel?

CBP: When I’m out there like this does it hurt me in recruiting sometimes? Absolutely. You know not every great basketball player that grows up in the inner-city dreams of playing for a Jewish basketball coach. It does hurt me in some households. But that’s a choice I made it and I’m sure we’ve lost some kids.  My coaches have got to realize this is who you work for.  This is who I am.

I’ve become more and more outspoken as I’ve gotten older because I can see I’m playing the back nine right now.  They’re not going to fire me right now. I won 28 games this year, we won the SEC, and I’m in a stronger position now. By saying these things are there people that are out there that aren’t liking them at all and wish I would just shut up and are waiting for me to have a bad season or two and fire me?  Maybe there are.  But I’ll tell you this, I’m blessed to be a place like Auburn in Alabama and one of the things I don’t mind telling you is the Jews all over the world should be grateful in some way to the Evangelical Christian community who is standing with Israel in many ways in prayer and financial support and they provide us a lot of political cover here in this country.

Coach Mordechai’s faith and very real and ongoing relationship with God is inspiring.  How powerful that he looked into the cameras and said, our team’s success is from God so that I could use this moment to fight for hostages held in Gaza to come home.  What an example that he can look back at his life and see a career-ending injury as a blessing and not a curse.  Coach Pearl obligates us all to use our platforms and our relationships, not only in private, but also in public, to talk about things that matter, to practice our Judaism with pride, and to do so without fear of being cancelled or fired.

Mordechai is introduced in the Scroll of Esther as: “There was a Jewish man in Shushan the capital.” There was a large Jewish population in Shushan. What do you mean “a” Jewish man; there was only one?

The Megillah is telling us that yes, there were many Jews, but most were failing to stand up for their Judaism or practice it. The Jewish community was asleep; there was only one “Jewish man”, an unashamed, unembarrassed, unapologetic Jew.

As we have entered the Hebrew month of Nissan, a month of redemption, salvation and freedom, let’s follow the example of Mordechai Pearl, be a proud, outspoken Jews, and in that merit, may we welcome all the hostages home.

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