Movie teaches lessons of sports, society
By Rob Rose
The film “On the Map,” which will be shown on April 9 at 7 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater, tells the story of the 1977 Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team that won the European Championship that year.
The College of Business Administration, the Department of Athletics, and the Department of Communication, and Journalism worked together to present this entertaining and educational production on campus.
“This film is an excellent example of the role of sport in society and what can be accomplished by a group of athletes in very difficult circumstances if they work together,” said Ira Sprotzer, associate professor and chair of the marketing department.
The against-all-odds story of the Maccabi team recounts how it defeated several top European clubs including Spain, Italy and the Soviet Union. After defeating CSKA Moscow – a team that had repeatedly refused to compete against Israeli players – Israeli-American basketball hero and Trenton native, Tal Brody, became part of the country’s history when he said, “Israel is on the map, not just in sport, but in everything.”
The story is told through the perspective of six American basketball players who joined the Maccabi team.
The film features interviews with Basketball Hall of Fame member Bill Walton, former NBA Commissioner David Stern, and Rider alumnus, former Notre Dame head coach and ESPN college basketball analyst Digger Phelps, ’63.
