Jackie Robinson wore number 42 on the field when he played for the Dodgers in 1947 (Jackie Robinson). He was born in Cairo, Georgia. He was the first Athlete at UCLA to get a varsity letter in four sports Football, basketball, track and baseball. Forced to leave college due to finical reason, Jackie had enlisted in the Army (Jackie Robinson). Jackie had a successful Army career too, after just two years he had become a Second Lieutenant, but that career was cut short too when he was court marshaled due to racial objections (Jackie Robinson). Jackie Robinson was brave enough to play baseball knowing the risk he was taking playing in the league at such a racist time. A quote said by Jackie Robinson by Rickey "Jackie, we've got no army. There's virtually nobody on our side. No owner, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I'm afraid that many fans may be hostile. We'll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I am doing this because you're a great ballplayer, and a fine gentleman." (Jackie Robinson).
Born in Cairo, Georgia Jackie Robinson was raised only by his mother who was a sharecropper (Jackie Robinson). He had four other siblings who were also raised by the single mother of Jackie. Being the only African American family on their block they had suffered racial prejudices almost daily. This hard upbringing had helped Jackie build the characteristic that he needed to be the first African American baseball player to play join the league, After Jackie joined the league playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he married his girlfriend Rachel Issum (Jackie Robinson). Jackie Robinson was also the first African American MLB player to appear on U.S postage stamp (Jackie Robinson). "I guess you'd call me an in...
... middle of paper ...
...artz). The problem with Jackie was in order to be in the league was to put up with the criticism, but he wasn’t one to let people take control of him so he spoke out and the team didn’t want that they wanted the league to see he could survive the MLB without violence (Schwartz). Rickey said "I know you're a good ballplayer. What I don't know is whether you have the guts." (Schwartz). That’s why they brought him to prove he could be in the MLB.
People egged Jackie on with racial comments saying he was scared to fight back and he had to block them out in order to play (Schwartz).
(Schwartz)Works Cited
Jackie robinson. 2011. 2 May 2014 . pbs.org. 2002. 8 May 2014 .
Schwartz, Larry. Jackie changed face of sports. n.d. 15 may 2014 .
In “Jackie’s Debut: A Unique Day,” is written by Mike Royko, and appeared in the Chicago Daily News on Wednesday, October 15, 1972, the day after Jackie passed away. This article is about one of the most famous and cultural African Americans to ever play the game of baseball. In the beginning of the story, there were wise men sitting in the tavern that had something to say about Jackie. They weren’t the kindest words and said that he would ruin the game of baseball. Jackie was going to be at Wrigley Field and the kid had to see him perform. Him and his friend always walked to the baseball games to avoid streetcar fare. On that day, Wrigley Field was packed. He had never seen anything like it, there were about 47,000 people there and at the
Jackie went through a lot. Coaches and players would say awful things off to the side, and Jackie would just have to block them out. Players would purposely throw balls at his head and step on him when they ran through the bases. Jackie never once fought back. He would just try and beat them in baseball.
Jackie Robinson stands at front plate, with the bat gripped firmly in his hands. The crowd, rather than cheering, was booing and shouting at him. Racial slurs were throw before the baseball ever was, but Jackie kept calm. He couldn't let them win. The pitcher finally threw the ball. Crack! The ball sails over the stadium and the crowd is full of convoluted cries and shouts. Jackie jogged home. He had won that round.
Branch Rickey was interested in Robinson for two reasons. One, being his talent, of course. Two, Branch Rickey wanted to make a change that will affect the MLB forever. Branch Rickey wanted to assist Jackie Robinson in breaking the color barrier. Jackie was soon tried on the Montreal Royals for the International Leagues. During this period of time, Jackie Robinson of course attracted a huge amount of attention, both good and bad. Of course, the white citizens were furious and continually frustrated with this “disgrace” to baseball. Although the reactions of Caucasians were negative, African Americans were very supportive and encouraged.
“In 1946, there were sixteen Major League Baseball teams, with a total of 400 players on their rosters, every one of the players was white. But when opening day came in 1947, that number dropped to 399, and one man stood apart. (42 2:30)” Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Making Jackie Robinson the first African-American to play Major League Baseball (MLB). Jackie’s transition from the Negro Leagues to MLB was not an easy one. As a player, he transitioned very well, but it was Robinson’s teammates, Dodgers fans, the opposing teams and their fans that tested Jackie every chance they got, some hotels even prohibited the Dodgers to stay in their establishments
There was quite a number of African-Americans playing alongside white athletes on minor and major league teams during the period between the end of the Civil War and 1890, when baseball was known for being mostly integrated. He spent his whole professional career with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947-1956. He put up crazy numbers during his career which led to 6 all-star team selections, a World Series championship, Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, 2 time stolen base leader and a league batting champion. Jackie wore number 42, which was later retired by the MLB.
Jackie was born and raised in Cairo, Georgia 1919. He was raised by his single mother Mallie along with is four siblings. He was the first person at UCLA to obtain a varsity letter in baseball, basketball, football, and track. He married Rachel Isum who he met at UCLA. He however had to leave school due to financial reasons and decided to enlist in the military, but was honorably discharged due to being court-martialed due to his actions against racial discrimination. Jackie played one season in 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs leading to further achievements in his professional baseball career.
Branch Rickey had been around baseball all his life. He was a player, coach, manager, and team owner for over sixty years. Branch Rickey was nominated into baseball’s hall of fame and on his plaque it mentions his signing of Jackie Robinson. Branch Rickey chose Robinson because he knew he would be able to take all the abuse and keep his cool. Also, he knew Robinson was an outstanding ball player. Branch Rickey has always wanted to integrate baseball since early in his career. Rickey was looking for a strong person who would be able to take the public scrutiny, avoid confrontation, and also a talented ball player. Rickey set his eyes on Robinson because he has had experience in integrating other sports. Robinson attended UCLA and lettered in four other sports.
He narrowed down the list of prospects, searching for the best player to integrate baseball. The likely choices for talent would have been Satchel Paige or Josh Gibson. Rickey, however, wanted not only a star but a person who could deal with the harassment from the public, some teammates, and the overall opposition. Knowing of Jackie's talent and his hate for segregation, Rickey set up an interview hoping he could convince Robinson to sign a contract. When Rickey told Robinson why he had been brought to see him, Jackie's reaction was a combination of several emotions.
Jackie Robinson overcame many struggles in life such as being included in the civil rights movement, facing discrimination, and he achieved being the first black man in major league baseball. He was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia on Hadley Ferry Road. It is a blue-collar town of about 10,000 people. Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Even though he achieved this major goal he still had trouble getting there. He and his siblings were raised by his single mother. Jackie attended Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College. He was a great athlete and played many sports. He played football, basketball, track, and of course baseball. He left school in 1941, worked as an athletic director and played semiprofessional football for the Honolulu Bears before being drafted to the Army in 1942. While he was in the army he became close friends with Joe Louis. The heavyweight used his popularity to protest about the delayed entry of black soldiers. Two years later he got the honor to be second lieutenant in 1943. After an accident where he refused to sit in the back of an unsegregated bus, military police arrested Robinson. A duty officer requested this and then later he requested that Jackie should be court martialed. Since this happened Jackie was not allowed to be deployed overseas to the World War II. He never saw combat during the war. Jackie left the Army with an honorable discharge.
After his departure from the Army he joined the Kansas City Monarchs, an all African-American baseball team, of the Negro League. Due to low pay and constant traveling, he decided he did not want to make baseball a career although he was one of the top players. Until 1947 only white players were allowed in Major League Baseball but in 1945 Clyde Sukeforth, a scout for Branch Rickey who was the Brooklyn Dodgers club president, had been looking for an African-American player and was watching Jackie for a while.
To the average person, in the average American community, Jackie Robinson was just what the sports pages said he was, no more, no less. He was the first Negro to play baseball in the major leagues. Everybody knew that, but to see the real Jackie Robinson, you must de-emphasize him as a ball player and emphasize him as a civil rights leader. That part drops out, that which people forget. From his early army days, until well after his baseball days, Robinson had fought to achieve equality among whites and blacks. "Jackie acted out the philosophy of nonviolence of Martin Luther King Jr., before the future civil rights leader had thought of applying it to the problem of segregation in America"(Weidhorn 93). Robinson was an avid member of the NAACP and helped recruit members because of his fame from baseball. Jackie had leadership qualities and the courage to fight for his beliefs. Unwilling to accept the racism he had run into all his life, he had a strong need to be accepted at his true worth as a first-class citizen. Robinson was someone who would work for a cause - that of blacks and of America - as well as for himself and his team.
Since early on, Jackie Robinson believed that God had a special purpose for him. Coming from a Christian background, Jackie Robinson believed that God was preparing him for something big, but he could still not see just what that would be (cite to pg 37). Growing up he excelled in many sports. Whether it was on the football field, on the basketball court, or out on the baseball field, Robinson encountered quite a bit of success wherever he went. (cite) Despite the talents of many African American baseball players, many were deemed inferior to their white counterparts. The sense of inferiority led many baseball players and owners of the teams in the Negro leagues to adjust to the status quo, however, Robinson was not one to simply seek to fulfill the status quo. Robinson was unwilling to conform with what mainstream society tried to force him to conform with, he constantly told his teammates that they should always be ready, someday one of them would be signed to break the color barrier and play in organized ball (cite to pg 48) . Unlike many of his peers, he felt a different calling in the sport of baseball. While many of his peers in the Negro leagues were openly accepting institutionalized racism, Robinson demanded equality and dignity as an African-American athlete and
In the film (A Jackie Robinson Story) Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time, tells Jackie that he does not want a player who is strong enough to fight back, but a player who is strong enough to not fight back. He wanted Jackie to focus solely on playing the game and not on what the fans had to say about him. Rickey also knew that Jackie would be strong enough to not fight back or get angry when the fans started yelling at him. I think that because Jackie was so strong in his character and stood up for himself and other people of color that he was very successful by the end of his career. Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish superstar, was highly respected among his fellow Jews however he was not accepted by Americans during this time. Although he was almost always ridiculed every time he stepped up to bat, Greenberg continued to pursue his dreams of being a Major League baseball player. As a Jew, Greenberg participated in many Jewish holidays and religious practices. Some of these practices were required for Greenberg to attend given his religion but because all other baseball players were not Jewish, or practicing the same Jewish holidays that he was, they would not have the conflict of dealing with said holidays. Sometimes baseball games and Jewish holidays would
After having his father leave him at six months old, his family moved to Pasadena, California. In Pasadena, Robinson grew up in poverty. Having this issue that many people in color had in common, Robinson took odd jobs to support the family. In 1932, Jackie graduated from John Muir High school then graduated from Pasadena Junior college in 1939. He then transferred to UCLA becoming the school's first to win varsity letters for four sports. During senior year, he met his future wife, Isum. After UCLA in 1942, Jackie Robinson was assigned to a segregated squadron at Fort Riley, Kansas. On July 6th, 1944 there was an event that destroyed his first long time job; when boarding an army bus, the driver commanded Robinson to go to the back of the bus. As a response of the bus driver’s remark, Jackie Robinson confronted him. This led to Robinson going to court being falsely charged. Being brought to court had ended his military career so he decided to move on. After Robinson’s military career, he went back to Los Angeles. Over there, were his old football and an old friend. His old friend, Rev. Karl Downs, offered Robinson a job to be a athletic director. He then taught and coached children; along with working with children Robinson worked along Huston College coaching in 1955- 1955. While working at Sam Houston, the Kansas City Monarchs offered a job to play pro negro baseball. In his baseball career, being apart of the Monarchs, Robinson experienced disorganization which frustrated him. Having his travel schedule being hectic, he couldn't make time to communicate to Isum; this became a burden in their relationship. In the total Robinson played 47 games with the Monarchs. There, he made an impeccable performance which landed him to play in the 1945 Negro League All-Star Game. Looking for jobs with more potential, trying out with the Red Sox. Trying out with the Red Sox was horrendous, with the racial