The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) had not authorized American college basketball players to compete in the 1969 Maccabiah Games.

[12][14] He was described in The Michigan Daily as "a second string center on Yale University's basketball team who is not an exceptional player, but who loves to play the game.

"[15] In 1969, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) barred participation by American college basketball players in the Maccabiah Games, the first time it had instituted such a ban.

[10] However, the NCAA allowed participation by American college athletes in other Maccabiah Games sports, such as swimming, track, fencing, and soccer.

[14][16] Yale University, with the approval of the school's President Kingman Brewster, informed Langer that they would support his participation with Team USA in the 1969 Maccabiah Games.

[18][25] Langer played for Team USA in the 1969 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel, in July and August 1969 after his sophomore year at Yale.

[13][18][26] Describing his experience, Langer said: "The word patriotism takes on a new meaning and transcends the Pledge of Allegiance in grammar school when one, representing the United States, marches into a stadium filled with 50,000 people amid the strains of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.

"[18] He recalled later: "That trip to the Maccabiah Games was the greatest experience of my life, and there was religious as well as basketball meaning for me ... on my return to school, all the varsity team captains got together and backed me 100%.

[28] The letter said that the Ivy presidents believed that the prohibition on Maccabiah Games basketball was the result of the war between the NCAA and AAU over control of amateur athletics.

[13][18] On December 10, 1969, in reaction, the ECAC executive council censured Yale, a charter member, in what was a rare move, and issued a "cease and desist" order.

[32][33] In February 1970 Representative Robert N. Giaimo (D-Connecticut) said in the U.S. Congress: The Yale case, involving basketball player Jack Langer, is tragic.

It shows once again that the NCAA is ... under the control of a stubborn, dictatorial hierarchy that does not hesitate to use athletes and schools alike as mere pawns in a game of power politics.

[18][35] Howard Cosell, television sports commentator for ABC, described it; this was a situation where young Americans who happened to be of Jewish persuasion wanted to represent themselves, their universities, their country in what is one of the most traditional and respected international competitions in the world, the Maccabiah Games .. the AAU certified for basketball.

I am reminded of what Al McGuire said quite bluntly to me: 'With all that is going okay and with all that we can do, can you imagine putting Yale University on probation because Jack Langer went to participate in the Maccabiah Games?'

[18] Congressman James G. O'Hara (D-Michigan) said he believed that: "the Jack Langers of the world have a right to participate and express themselves [by representing the United States in the Maccabiah Games].