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Racial discrimination in sports
Racial discrimination in sports
Jackie robinson and racism
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In America we are given the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, however, this wasn’t the same for Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was the first African American Major League Baseball player. Robinson opened up new opportunities for African Americans around the world and changed the game of baseball forever. He faced many hardships to get baseball and our nation to the way it is today. “ A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”- Jackie Robinson(Baseballhall.org 1)
Robinson was born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest child out of five, and like most african american families, he lived in poverty. He sometimes went to bed without any dinner because they were so poor. Robinson
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After Robinson got Honorably discharged, he went to play baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, which was in the Negro League. He hated playing for the Monarchs because the fields, players, and buses made it seem unprofessional to him. Then he was contacted by Branch Rickey, the head of the Brooklyn Dodgers. His idea was to mix African Americans into the same baseball team as whites in professional baseball. Before they started him out on the Dodgers, they sent him through a trial run with the Montreal Royals to get a feel for things. He did good, and Rickey moved him up to the Dodgers. One of the reasons Rickey picked Robinson was because he wasn’t like most other players. He would never back down from any challenge no matter how tough it was because he wanted to prove that African Americans should be allowed to do everything whites were allowed to do, he wanted change.”You want a guy that comes to play. But Robinson didn’t just come to play. He came to beat you. He came to stuff the damn bat right up your ass”- Leo Durocher( Sabr.org 1) While he played, he not only had to take abuse from other teams but his own teammates as well. He had promised Rickey that he wouldn’t fight back. Hopefully, then everyone would see that African Americans were good
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Georgia. On this day, a legend arrived. Jackie was raised by his mother, and his mother alone. His father left before Jackie was born, and he didn’t remember one thing about him. Jackie had many siblings, brothers and sisters.
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.
He had to face racism and discrimination. The turning points were when he joined a major league. Little kids were very inspiring because they did not care what color they were or what race they are from. When he met Branch Rickey they both made a bond. As same as Ru they both tried to change their country but Robinson had help and did not start changing the way of baseball. He changed the way his country thought about baseball and Black people. He made them think that baseball should be open to everyone. He also faced many life changing experiences that lead to him to having impact on his country. He also was not the only one who did this besides from Feng Ru. He was one of the men who changed baseball
Jackie Robinson decided to fight to be the first African American to integrate the Major League Baseball (MLB). His autobiography states he “was forced to live with snubs rebuffs and rejections” ( Robinson). This quote shows that he was treated unfairly and disrespectfully. In Robinson’s autobiography it also states that Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier and created equal oppurtunity proving that a “sport can’t be called national if blacks are barred from it”
In 1947 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers desperately wanted Robinson to play for him and his team. He would become the first black MLB player since 1889 when baseball became discriminated. In his first year he was the Rookie of the Year. He debuted in the International League with the Montreal Royals. This the led to Branch’s interest in Robinson since he was considered one of the best players in the International League and considering it was his first time playing with white men.
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.
Jackie Robinson, born Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children and was raised by his single-handed mother Mallie Robinson in poverty. He went to John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College, where he excelled in football, basketball, track, and baseball. Jackie Robinson won the regions Most Valuable Player in baseball in 1938. Jackie was inspired by his older brother Matthew Robinson to push for his goals, talents and love for sports.
Although Jackie Robinson was not the best African-American baseball player of his time, his attitude and ability to handle racist harassment led the way for the rest of his race to play Major League Baseball, amongst other sports. Being accepted into professional sports also helped African-Americans become more easily accepted into other aspects of life. Jackie's impact in the world for the black population is enormous.
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.
"In his early days in the Army, he established himself as a fighter for civil rights"(Weidhorn 40-1). The U.S. Army was segregated about the time Robinson enlisted. He felt for the first time in his life what it was like to be a second-class citizen as a part of his daily life. Jackie had too much pride though, to let things stay the way they were. Many blacks accepted how things were in the army. Robinson knew that if he tried hard enough, he could change things. One particular event caused Robinson to stand up for his rights, almost to the point of being court-martialed from the Ar...
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.
His middle name was chosen after Teddy Roosevelt because of his public opposition to racism. He had four brothers and sisters (Rampersad 15). As an infant Jackie Robinson’s father left him and his brothers and sisters. He would later try and return but Mallie, Jackie’s mother, had already moved on and wanted nothing to do with him. Mallie was eager to leave things behind so she moved. Robinson and his family moved to Pasadena, California (Rampersad 18). After two years she was able to collect enough money to move to a new house on Pepper Street which was an all-white neighborhood. Later on in his life Robinson went to The University of California, Los Angeles (Johnson 480). While at UCLA Robinson became the first person to letter in four different sports. It was also at UCLA where he met Rachel Isun, who would play a major role in his life. In 1941
...u're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life." "I don't think that I or any other Negro, as an American citizen, should have to ask for anything that is rightfully his. We are demanding that we just be given the things that are rightfully ours and we're not looking for anything else." In 1972 Jackie Robinson died but his legacy would always live forever. The effects of Robinson can be seen in any place that you come across like the covers of Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and even the Wall Street Journal. Since Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in 1947 black society in America has truly broken infinite number of barriers. More important than the improvements in the black race, are the improvements in the entire nation that from his accomplishments was now one step closer to equality. (Quotes)
To start off, for Jackie Robinsons bravery to stop the color barrier Jackie Robinson had the courage for two years no one else had. In the article “Skin Games” Gregg Guss states, “For two full years he ‘turned the other cheek’, his brain keeping his mouth shut while his heart burned with rage at the insults he knew he must tolerate”(2). Robinson managed to do a lot even with all the abuse he suffered. He had to walk away from name calling, death threats even as a child he faced abused being the only black family who lived in a white neighborhood. In the article “Skin Games” Gregg Guss states, “The world Jackie Robinson grew up in was separate and unequal” (3). All Jackie Robinson wanted to do was make the game he loved equal for all. He wanted to show that African Americans could play any sport just as good as anyone else that there skin color did not define their talents. Although Jackie Robinson faced a lot making the path for African Americans he did it bravely, diligently...