Although baseball is unanimously thought of as this nation’s pastime, it did not always allow the representation of the entire nation’s population. It took many leaders in society to break the abstract barricade that symbolized the separation between Caucasian baseball players and non-white baseball players. Among these advocates for equality was a man by the name of Roberto Clemente. Clemente’s resume runs deep with major recognitions in the baseball world, along with services as a world humanitarian.
Roberto Clemente Walker was born on August 18, 1934. Early in his career, Clemente was relatively unknown and played for minor teams. His career started in his home country of Puerto Rico, where he played for the Santurce Crabbers (Maraniss, 2007, p.23). He was later scouted by the Brooklyn Dodgers and played for the Montreal Royals, which was the Dodger’s top minor league team. Clemente mostly played benchwarmer because the Dodger’s did not want other teams to discover his hidden talents. However, after his single season in the minor leagues, the Pittsburgh Pirates elected to draft him in 1954, thus began his career in the major leagues (Maraniss, 2007, p. 79).
Clemente’s transition to the United States was not met without obstacles along the way. During his first spring training, he would often have to find his own lodging and eat meals on the bus due to the segregation laws placed in that historical context (Maraniss, 2007, p. 144). His rookie salary of $10,000 was a mere fraction of what the white players earned in their first years. Racist feelings towards Clemente manifested themselves on several notes, one of them during the 1960 MVP decision. The Pirates had won the World Series that year and Clemente played a major ro...
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...ng up to the crime, the massive amounts of effort that mentors such as Roberto Clemente have made to ensure that society changes its views would be wasted. Discrimination and racism should not be tolerated, and keeping a keen awareness for it is vital so that our society and its morale compass do not dull and prove to be faulty.
References
Maraniss, D. (2007). Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Perez, R. (2007). Remembering my father's face: Latino baseball, Roberto Clemente, and an ethics of hospitality. Centro Journal, 19(2), 244-253. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Briley, R. (2007). Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero/The Team that Changed Baseball: Roberto Clemente and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. Nine: A Journal of Baseball History & Culture, 16(1), 104-107. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
The world is a very different place than what it was in the 1920’s; however, despite our differences, many things have stayed the same. No matter what, there’s always something to refer back to. Nearly one-hundred years ago, the 1920’s holds a great deal of historical events that changed the world. One of these historical events is when Babe Ruth changed the outlook on negro leagues and african american baseball players. Ruth could do many things that other people couldn’t in baseball. He in general was an amazing baseball player, but he also did something much more, something that would change the world’s views of not just him, but everybody.
first person about his struggles in the beginning of his baseball career, and how he miraculously turns his
He was the first Hispanic baseball player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the first to reach three thousand hits. His induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame was specifically special because an exception was made for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after his unexpected death. Usually baseball players cannot be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for at least five years after they quit playing, but Clemente was inducted in 1973. With all that being said, Clemente also never forgot where he came
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1910 to 1920 was the one of the greatest decades for Major League Baseball. Many amazing events occurred during this decade; although, some devastating and extremely sad events also occurred. Half of these years were taken up by war, even many Hall of Fame players served. This decade still ended up being a great one for Major League Baseball. From Hall of Fame greats to Negro League pitchers, this decade produced greats. The 1910’s also set up the 1920’s for amazing players too.
I chose this topic because I thought that it was important to highlight the recent successes of the Latino baseball players to show how minority groups can prosper in America. Latino atheletes have gain notoriety and riches through the sport of baseball. These are things that they couldn’t have dreamed about achieving without Major League baseball. Major League Baseball has given Latin Americans the opportunity to better their economic and social situation.
Although often overshadowed in baseball history by Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb is considered by many sports enthusiasts to be the greatest player to ever play the game of baseball. Tyrus Raymond Cobb, was born December 18, 1886 in Banks County in Narrows, Georgia. He quickly gained much notoriety for his great skill in baseball and eventually earned a position with the Detroit Tigers at the age of nineteen, after playing for several semi-pro and Sally league teams. Cobb compiled twelve batting titles, a .367 career average, and totaled 4191 hits (second all-time) in a career that spanned twenty-two years (1905-1928). With these and other superb achievements, Ty was inducted as the first member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, receiving more votes the Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner. As Cobb aged, his physical condition worsened and he developed terminal cancer. He eventually died July 17, 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia at the age of seventy-four.
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The films that are dedicated to describing the life of historical figures strive to adhere to the biographical facts and documents to reach the maximum reminiscence of the main character with the real figure. At the same time, the directors of the movies tend to introduce their own plots and ideas to render a specific message to the audience. Sometimes they omit facts or change the chronology to emphasis certain facts and remove those which do not relate to the very idea of the movie. In this respect, two biographical sport dramas – The Express and 42 – focus on famous and outstanding baseball players, the first African-American players who managed to become famous and achieve recognition despite the racial discrimination and tensions on the part of white baseball players who were reluctant to acknowledge the excellence of black baseball players.
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“Jackie Robinson and the Intergration of Major League Baseball.” History Today. N.p.,n.d. Web 24 Mar. 2014
Jiobu, Robert M., “Racial Inequality in a Public Arena: The Case of Professional Baseball”. Social Forces , Vol. 67, No. 2 (Dec., 1988), pp. 524-534 Oxford University Press
This game of a stick and ball has captivated the United States during good and bad times. In either time most of us today can remember stories of players from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. These are legendary figures in the sport of baseball that have are celebrated as hero’s and in scandal, i...
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.
To begin with, for nearly 200 years in the United States, the nation was afflicted with slavery. In 1865, slavery was at an end, but professional sports were on the rise, and racism was a severe problem. As of 1946, there were no African-American athletes in Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, or in the National Football League; until Jackie Robinson, that is. The 29-year-old African-American from Cairo, Georgia, became the first ever black professional Major League baseball player. From the time that Jackie Robinson stepped on a baseball diamond for the first time, to 30 years later, in the 1980’s, percentages of black players in the MLB skyrocketed. In the 1987 season, 28 percent of the players in the Major leagues, were African-American (Kahn). In addition to being one of the most important figures in MLB history, Jackie excelled in almost every sports in college, lettering in 4 of them (Salem Press 2336). Jackie Robinson may be the most influential character in the history of sports, changing the landscape of racism forever. Another dramatic change that occurred along the lines of racism in sports, was in the National Basketball Association, also called the NBA. In the 1940’s there were zero black players in the NBA, but by the 1980’s 74 percent of pro basketball players...