Knowing the feeling of antisemitism firsthand, Liv Shumbres wants to see change — and isn’t shy about standing up for it.
It’s what drove her, a track and field athlete from the College of Charleston, and five other Jewish student-athletes, to partner with The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS), joining as the inaugural class of the non-profit’s newly announced NIL-sponsored Blue Square Athlete Ambassador Program.
‘It truly is about being something bigger than just a small part of a brand,’ Shumbres said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports.
‘This is impacting everyday lives, especially as someone who is Jewish. I wanted to raise awareness and use this opportunity to speak authentically about myself, my story, be able to storytell and spark conversations with other people around me as well.’
Officially launched on Wednesday, July 16, the Blue Square Athlete Ambassador Program is the latest facet to the FCAS, which was started in 2019 by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. It signed six NCAA Jewish student-athletes to the innovative NIL program, where they will work with experts from the organization to combat antisemitism.
Those six athletes, who range from Division I to Division III, include Meyer Shapiro (Cornell wrestling), Ethan Hott (Stanford baseball), Riley Weiss (Columbia women’s basketball), Ze’ev Remer (Cal Lutheran men’s basketball), Alan Mashensky (NYU basketball) and Shumbres.
‘We are excited about being pioneers in this regard, and we’re really excited about the six athletes that are involved,’ FCAS president Adam Katz told USA TODAY Sports. ‘We’re excited about what this will do for each of them individually and collectively, and we’re excited for the potential to show a new way that NILs could be used to create a positive benefit for the world.’
The program, in its pilot stage, was a Day 1 priority for Katz, who was named FCAS’s president in May. According to research from the FCAS, 25% of adults in the United States have shown a trait of antisemitic attitudes — which is an increase of 10% over the last 18 months. That number is “frankly worse” among younger people, per Katz, with those perceptions being based on misinformation and lack of information.
On top of working together as a team to promote combat antisemitism, Katz said he hopes the program will also help the student-athletes to further grow as leaders in their communities.
‘It’s an opportunity for them to really take on even more of a leadership role, but it’s also role modeling for others in the community (that) this is a way that you can help build empathy, build bridges and build connection in a world and a country that is increasingly polarized and increasingly isolated,’ Katz said. ‘This is a way to kind of cut through that. At least that’s our intent.’
The three student-athletes who spoke with USA TODAY Sports — Remer, Hott and Shumbres — mentioned that driving forces for them to be part of the program was to shed light on the “good” of Jewish student-athletes, ‘humanize’ those of Jewish descent and break down the stereotypes that surround them.
‘It’s scary. It’s scary to be a Jewish person, to be openly Jewish,’ Remer said. ‘You see people are getting shot in the streets. A lot of protests are going on. So I think if I can be that light that shows that I’m not afraid to be who I am and give some hope to the Jewish community, that’s huge to give my people that hope.’
Hott, the only Jewish baseball player at Stanford, said that though there may be recognition and publicity that comes from this opportunity for him, that wasn’t a priority of his when he signed up.
‘That’s almost secondary to the bigger task at hand,’ Hott said. ‘… “It’s not about shifting people’s belief that they may already have personally. …We want to show that, yes, we are such a small percentage of the world’s population, but we are out here doing amazing things and we don’t want to spread hate.
‘… We just want to show that we can be excellent and thrive in whatever we choose to do, just like everybody else is trying to do.’
For Shumbres, a way for her to be that leader is using her platform to be an advocate, especially the younger generation, while continuing to bring awareness and spark conversation.
‘(Antisemitism is) all over the world right now, unfortunately. I can use my platform to really bring awareness to that and show … That it’s okay to be Jewish, it’s good to be proud of who you are and represent the people around you in a way where you don’t have to quiet yourself just because everyone else is,’ Shumbres said.
‘It’s okay to stand up. … I am unapologetically Jewish and I’m proud of that.’
It is from her own experience with antisemitism from ‘subtle comments’ made toward her on social media and the initiative behind the Blue Square program — something bigger than sports — that also reminds her why she wanted to be part of this program with FCAS in the first place.
‘Rather than focusing on the negative, let’s stand up for what’s right,’ Shumbres said. ‘Let’s make this a thing of positivity going forward. Let’s not focus on the negativity. Let’s grow from it and introduce others to that light as well.’