Max Baer – Jewish Boxer

I was recently watching Cinderella Man on television and I noticed again the muted image of a “Star of David” on Max Baer’s boxing trunks… Believe it or not, I was able to go to YouTube and find the original movie recording from the 1935 fight between Baer and Braddock;  And lo and behold, Baer is boxing with a Star of David on his left leg (see snapshot below — click on picture to watch the video at YouTube).  Interestingly, the star on the boxing trunks was actually much more prominent than it was depicted in the Cinderella Man movie.

baerstar.jpg

I found this entry about Baer and his boxing trunks in Wikipedia:

In 1933, Baer fought heavyweight Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium. His trunks displayed an embroidered Star of David[14], which Max swore to wear in every bout thereafter. He dominated the rugged fighter from Germany into the tenth round when the referee stopped the match. Because Baer defeated Schmeling, Hitler’s favorite, and Baer had a half-Jewish father, he became popular among Jews, those who identified with Jews, and those who despised the Nazis’ racial policies.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.