Sheldon Shemer, an Emmy Award-winning television director who helped revolutionize sports broadcasting in Baltimore and at the former Capital Centre in Landover, died July 6. He was 91.
Known for his charisma, generosity and passion for both family and sports, Shemer was a pioneering force in televised baseball, hockey, basketball and concerts for nearly four decades. He directed games at home and away for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Capitals and Washington Bullets, earning three regional Emmy awards for his work. He also spearheaded the creation of the Telscreen, the massive four-sided scoreboard at the Capital Centre that brought replay technology and entertainment innovation to arena audiences.
“He was larger than life,” said his daughter, Bethanne Lambert. “He was charismatic, always telling stories and jokes, just a very fun guy to be around. He brought joy to people.”
His wife, Rita Shemer, reflected on the life they built together and the joy he found in his work. “He had a wonderful time with his life. People loved hearing about his career. He was always with a ball club that he loved, and when he came home, he was a wonderful father and husband.”
Born in Baltimore in 1934, Shemer grew up in a close-knit Jewish household with his identical twin brother, Allan. They both earned scholarships to play basketball at the University of Baltimore.
Though athletics played a big role in his early life, Shemer set his sights on a career in advertising. After being passed over for a job — he suspected due to antisemitism — he pivoted to television. He began at WJZ-TV as a cameraman, quickly rising through the ranks.
He built a career that would impact generations of sports fans. In his memoir “Overtime,” he chronicled his years traveling with major league teams and producing events such as a charity golf match between Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead to benefit the American Cancer Society.
He became one of the region’s premier sports directors, known for his visual storytelling and innovative camera work. His directing career included coverage of concerts by Frank Sinatra, The Who and Bruce Springsteen, as well as events ranging from professional wrestling to presidential inaugurations.
To those lucky enough to glimpse his world, it felt like magic. “It was like a behind-the-scenes tour,” said cousin Jeffrey Bennett. “When I was a kid, Sheldon would invite me down to see the action backstage. It was like seeing the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain.”
His deep knowledge of sports and his ability to anticipate and frame the action made him a standout in the field. “He had the ability to know the sport backwards and forwards,” Allan Shemer said. “He was one of the best directors they had.”
Sheldon Shemer’s Jewish identity was a deep and constant presence in his life. He and Rita met while working as counselors at Park Hill, then a Jewish children’s day camp in Baltimore. “He told my mom on the first day he met her that he was going to marry her,” Lambert said. They were married for 69 years and raised their three children in Baltimore. The family belonged to Pikesville’s Beth El Congregation, where the siblings attended Hebrew school.
The Shemer home was open to all. “Our house was a place where everyone came,” Lambert said. “If a kid was in trouble at home or needed a place to stay, they knew they could come to us. That’s just the kind of guy my dad was — generous with his time, his energy and his heart.”
Even in retirement, Shemer stayed busy. He played golf avidly and, for a time, worked at a local bank just to be around people. “He was a kidder,” Lambert said. “He just loved being around others. He made people laugh.”
A passionate storyteller, Shemer preserved many of his best anecdotes in his memoir, but family and friends often heard them first at the dinner table or in the broadcast booth.
His daughter recalled his astonishing memory for dates, games and players. “My dad would tell these stories, and he’d say, ‘In 1972…’ and we’d be like, how do you know all that? He’d tell the score and everything. My husband once looked one up to check — and my dad was right. His memory of these events was just phenomenal.”
His grandson Kyle Nowak remembered him as “a lighthearted storyteller” who could hold a room and keep everyone entertained. “He had this really big personality in part because he could back it up,” Nowak said. “He was constantly telling stories of being with pro baseball players or directing big games.”
That pride in his identity and his work ran deep. Nowak also recalled a story Shemer told about being in a bar when a stranger made an antisemitic remark: “He said it was the only time in his life he wanted to punch someone.”
Shemer’s life was marked by resilience. At age 80, he underwent kidney surgery that nearly killed him. “We were told to say goodbye,” Lambert said. But thanks to the work of a dozen doctors and nurses, he survived and eventually recovered after months of rehab. “It was a miracle,” she said.
In 2013, he and Rita moved to Colorado to be closer to family. Though his body slowed, his love for family never wavered. “Whenever any of us did well, it brought him joy,” Lambert said. “He loved his kids, his grandkids and his great-grandkids with everything he had.”
Even as his professional accomplishments faded into the background, what remained was his deep love for people and his natural ability to lift those around him. “He just wanted to make the world a better place just by being him,” Lambert said.
For Nowak, his grandfather’s outlook left a lasting impression. “What he taught me most was to take your work seriously — but not life. He never forgot how to be a kid.”
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.
