Joel Sherman

For the sportswriter, see Joel Sherman (sportswriter).

Joel Sherman (born 1962), nicknamed GI Joel, is an American professional English-language Scrabble player and former world champion. He is featured in Stefan Fatsis's book Word Freak,^[1] in Eric Chaikin's film Word Wars,^[2] and in Scott Petersen's film Scrabylon.^[3][4] He is also mentioned in Collins Gem's reference book.

Joel Sherman
Sherman at the World Scrabble Championship 1997
Born	1962 (age 62–63) Bronx County, New York
Other names	GI Joel
Alma mater	Bronx High School of Science
Occupation	Professional English-language Scrabble player
Years active	1988–present

He was born in The Bronx, New York in 1962, and is an alumnus of the Bronx High School of Science.^{[citation needed]}

Sherman's major Scrabble tournament victories include:

• 1997 World Scrabble Championship - Washington, D.C.
• 1998 Brand's Crossword Game King's Cup
• 2002 National Scrabble Championship - San Diego, California
• 2018 North American Scrabble Championship - Buffalo, New York

Since beginning his career in 1988, he has played at least 4,750 tournament games, winning about 64%, and earning at least $135,000 in prize money.^[5] He is director of NASPA Games Club #56, which meets on Thursday evenings in New York City.^{[citation needed]}

Sherman holds the record for the highest score recorded in a tournament game played with the North American lexicon, having defeated Bradley Robbins 803-285 at a tournament in Stamford, Connecticut on December 9, 2011.^[6]

His nickname is derived from a health problem, gastrointestinal reflux syndrome, and a pun on the G.I. Joe action figure.^{[citation needed]}