Canadian Female Sports Legend Remembered in Special Screening of The Natural Athlete: Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld

TORONTO, January 20, 2000 -- During the first half of this century, the name of Fanny Rosenfeld was branded on the consciousness of every Canadian fan of just about every competitive sport. Whether it was the 100-metres, shotput, javelin, hockey, baseball or lacrosse, Rosenfeld distinguished herself and the place of women in sport.

It was not only her outstanding physical prowess, but Rosenfeld's willingness to subsume her own interests for the sake of the team that captured the imagination of fans worldwide. In doing so, she raised the bar on competitive sport behaviour to a level unmatched by any athlete since. On January 26 at 9 p.m., the History Channel will broadcast The Natural Athlete: Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld, a documentary on her life and times. York University's Centre for Jewish Studies will host a special, advance screening of the film on Tuesday, January 25, at 2:30 p.m., followed by a discussion with York University Professors Joseph Levy and Greg Malszecki on the subject of Jews and Sport in the Modern World.

Rosenfeld's story is one of a young Jewish girl whose Russian immigrant parents struggled to eke out an existence in the junk business in Barrie, Ontario, at a time when rampant anti-Semitism prevented Jews from being employed in either the trades or the professions. The young Fanny showed remarkable talent in all sports at an early age and rose to become Canada's Woman Athlete of the Half-Century, setting national records that lasted until the 1950s, and ultimately becoming the only Jewish woman athlete in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

"Up to the 1950s in Canada, Jews and many other immigrant groups were barred from going to medical or law school, and sport was a way for them to enter society," said Levy, a professor in the Centre for Jewish Studies and the School of Social Work at York University. "Rosenfeld was an unbelievable athlete, revered by Canadians, and the only Jewish athlete ever to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field, but she was not accorded her rightful status in the Jewish community at the time," said Levy, who is a member of Maccabi Canada, an international organization promoting sport as a legitimate leisure activity for Jews.

At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, Rosenfeld won the gold medal in the 400-metre relay, a silver in the 100-metre that was contested as a dead heat, and soon after ran in the 800-metre relay to help her team. It was in that race that she showed her mettle, running at a measured pace beside a faltering team mate to offer moral support. Rosenfeld came fifth in that race when she could easily have won a gold or a silver medal.

"Rosenfeld the athlete, coach, sports policy critic, administrator, official and Globe and Mail sports columnist, is no longer, but her memory and laurels live on," said Levy. A street is named for Rosenfeld in Barrie, and the Canadian Press still awards Canada's female athlete of the year the Bobbie Rosenfeld Trophy. The City of Toronto established Bobbie Rosenfeld Park in 1991, next to the Skydome and the CN Tower, and a stamp was issued by Canada Post in 1996 to honour her as a Canadian Olympian.

The advance screening of The Natural Athlete: Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld will take place in the Harry Crowe Room, Atkinson College, York University, 4700 Keele St., on Tuesday, January 25, at 2:30 p.m. For enquiries call the Centre for Jewish Studies at (416) 736-5823, or email: michaelb@yorku.ca.

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For further information, please contact:

Prof. Joseph Levy
School of Nursing
Atkinson College
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 33898
joelevy@yorku.ca

Prof. Greg Malszecki
School of Physical Education
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 77480
gregm@yorku.ca

Susan Bigelow
Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22091
sbigelow@yorku.ca
YU/006/00