Sam Balter

Samuel "Sam" Balter, Jr. (October 15, 1909 – August 8, 1998) was an American basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. As a Jew, he had some hesitation about playing in the Olympics hosted by Hitler's Germany, but was persuaded when he was assured by Avery Brundage that there would be no Nazi propaganda at the games.

He was part of the American basketball team, which won the gold medal. He played two matches, but not the final match in which the US team won the gold medal.

Before the Olympics Balter played college basketball at UCLA and for an amateur basketball team sponsored by Universal Pictures.

Balter later turned his celebrity into a career as a Los Angeles sportscaster beginning his career on radio before moving into television. He also appeared in a number of movies and television shows, always portraying a radio announcer or sportscaster.

External links

* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BALTESAM01 Olympics Profile]
* [http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/Sam%20Balter.htm Sam Balter] at Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93400660 My Jewish Grandpa's Triumph At Hitler's Olympics]