ISRAEL OLYMPIC BASEBALL TEAM
Joey Wagman
Olympic Athlete, Team Israel
A seed was planted. A sapling has grown. Now YOUR help is needed to help it become a Tree. Yes Bubelah, there is Baseball in Israel! Now there is Israel Baseball in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Welcome to the official website of Joey Wagman - Olympian, Team Israel Baseball.
Make sure to read below about Team Israel's historic journey to the Olympics and watch highlights of the team during the Qualifiers. Also, read up on how to get Team Israel gear including one of a kind FACE shirts, and how you can contribute to the team!
About Joey
Born and raised in the Bay Area Joey has enjoyed an unorthodox (pun intended) baseball career after graduating Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in international business in 2013. An All American in college and team captain for 2 years, Joey has played Minor League Baseball and Independent League Baseball, joining the Israel WBC Baseball Team in 2017. Joey was the first member of the WBC team to become a citizen of Israel leading the way for another 10 Jewish Americans to become citizens of Israel. This year, Joey helped lead the Israel Olympic Baseball Team to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo
About Team Israel Baseball
Israel got its first real baseball field in 1979. In 1986 the Israel Association of Baseball was formed to promote and develop baseball in Israel and Israeli Baseball around the world. About 1000 players regularly play in leagues and in 2013 Israel was invited to the World Baseball Classic the first time. In 2017 Israel stunned the world, moving into the quarterfinals after beating world baseball powers Netherlands, South Korea and Taiwan.
This year at the Olympic Qualifying European Championships, the newly created, all Israeli Olympic Baseball Team won qualifying tournaments in Bulgaria and Lithuania, finished in the top 4 in Germany and defeated top seeds Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain in Italy to win the tournament and become one of only 6 teams from around the world to qualify to play in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Joey Wagman named the Most Valuable Pitcher in both Germany and Italy allowing 1 earned run in 26 innings with 22 strikeouts and 0 walks. Joey was the only pitcher in the tournaments to throw a complete game, a 3 hit shutout to kick off the Finals in Italy against Spain.
HELP JOEY, THE ISRAELI OLYMPIC TEAM AND BASEBALL IN ISRAEL...AND JEWS AROUND THE WORLD
Official financial support for baseball in Israel and the Olympic Baseball Team doesn’t cover even 5% of the money necessary to build fields, buy equipment, hire coaches to train players, pay the expenses of going to tournaments, housing and feeding the players and now paying the expenses of taking a baseball team to Tokyo for 3 weeks.
With a team comprised of has-beens, wannabes and never was, the Olympic baseball team has brought Israel more positive publicity around the world than ever before. Medaling at the Olympics will catapult Israel’s brand to undreamed of heights both inside and outside Israel.
But to do that Joey, the Olympic team and Israel Association of Baseball needs your money.
Joey and the rest of the Olympic baseball players need money to get full time top end Olympic level training up through July of 2020. The IAB needs money for expenses, travel, meals, coaching, fields, equipment and more to continue to build the culture of baseball in Israel with the momentum gained at the WBC and the Olympics.
Moreover, the impact of Jews at the Olympics, Jews winning baseball tournaments, Jews participating
on equal footing with the rest of the world is important and long lasting. For both the self image of Israelis and the halo covering Jews around the world, this opportunity for Olympic glory should be embraced fully. Please contribute now.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE ISRAEL OLYMPIC BASEBALL TEAM
In consideration of your contribution to the Olympic Baseball Team your name/company name can receive traditional and digital media recognition in all Team communications. Donate here.
Sponsorship contributors will receive additional exposure on team gear as Olympic rules allow.
CONTRIBUTE TO IAB
In consideration of your contribution you will be richly rewarded with the knowledge that you are helping baseball become a major sport in Israel with young and old alike.
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