Tennis

The NCAA’s Jewish matchmaker

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has been taking it on the chin lately, whether from players seeking to unionize or from scandals about athletes getting credit for fake classes. So it’s nice to see the organization showing its better side.

Actually, this is a happy story on two fronts. This week, Yeshiva University’s tennis team won the Skyline Conference Division III title — the first time the university has qualified for an NCAA tournament. That’s an achievement in itself, given that the Washington Heights university doesn’t even have a tennis court of its own.

With the Maccabees’ victory came a dilemma: Yeshiva’s players are all Orthodox Jews who observe the Sabbath, meaning they can’t compete in Saturday matches.

Early on, Yeshiva notified the NCAA that its players could not take part on their day of rest. To its credit, the league came up with a schedule that will not require the Yeshiva team to violate the Sabbath.

Back in 1958, Brigham Young University turned down a bid to the NCAA’s College Baseball World Series rather than have its players take part in Sunday games. In later years, the NCAA has accommodated religious schedules. But this is the first time Saturday games have been involved.

Yeshiva opens Thursday morning against Skidmore. If the Maccabees win, they’ll play a second-round game Friday morning. The championship rounds will be held on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

We salute Yeshiva, for its sports victory as well as for its stand on religious principle. And we applaud the NCAA for honoring this principle in a way that accommodates all and penalizes no one.