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Baseball, in the 1940s, was not an integrated sport, but rather followed a separate but equal policy. While the white players got paid a lot of money to play in the Major Leagues, the sometimes superior black players were left to play in the Negro Leagues, which did not pay as well. Many of these players gained notoriety through this league, such as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. While their records beat numerous of the white players records, racism was too bad to justify integrating the Major Leagues without someone who would not fight the callous abuse that was sure to come their way. One man was successful in finding the right man to play. Branch Rickey made baseball history by signing a black player to the Dodgers in 1947. The Negro League star players questioned his choice in players, but ultimately Rickey made the right decision by signing Jackie Robinson.
Known for his speed, Jackie Robinson was not one of the most notable Negro League stars at the time of his signing. He tried out for the Monarchs in 1945 after leaving the military. While he got accepted, his stats were not up to par with some of the other more famous Negro League players. He was good enough to play shortstop and he spent the whole of his Negro League career with the Monarchs. He might not have been the best player in the Negro Leagues, but he was better than some of the Major League players. It was this fact in combination with his attitude toward integration that got him signed into the Minor Leagues in 1945. He was willing to remain humble toward the hate he would receive in the white leagues. His goal would not be to boost his ego, but to make integration easier for the black players to come after him. He was a reasonable man, who took his job serious...
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...viled against because of his race. Robinson passed and he knew he could not retaliate. Rickey chose him for his courage to be the first and only black man in the all white Major Leagues.
Rickey and Robinson started a revolution of sorts; they fought back against racism, even if it was just in baseball. They broke the race barrier with no other political agenda besides ending race discrimination in baseball. It was a great move to start with someone who was not a big name yet. Robinson was allowed to prove himself as an athlete. Someone who deserved to be in the Major Leagues, and he was able to do it without contentment towards the other players who looked down on him for his race. He was successful because he was able to beat the system and pursue without retaliation, proving that he could withstand adversity, and if he could do it than other minorities can too.
“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
My first reason, is that he made white people accept him so he became friends with players. For example, one of them was named Pee Wee Reese. Additionally, his teammates gave him tips on playing baseball and by encouraging him. Also because he helped white people fill up their wallets. My final detail, is that Mr. Ricky told the players that whoever didn’t accept Jackie Robinson could leave. Jackie Robinson proved to people that colored people were as good at baseball
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
America’s pastime has been complicated in the last couple centuries, and integration has been a really big key in the game of baseball. Like most of America in the 1940’s, baseball was segregated, whites playing in the Major League system and African-Americans playing in the Negro Leagues. There were many factors that made whites and blacks come together including World War II. Integration caused many downs in the time period but as baseball grew and grew it was one of the greatest accomplishments in the history. It was hard to find the right black man do start this, they needed a man with baseball abilities and a man who didn’t need to fight back.
(Robinson). This proves that he broke a racial barrier that needed to be broken. Although Jackie faced threats racial slurs and more he got through it and integrated into the MLB and changed his
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.
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball. This was not an easy task for him to do. People judged him and didn’t like him by the color of his skin. Jackie Robinson said “The hate mail piled up” (Robinson). That shows that no one cared to give him a chance to play in the Major League. The innocence of young kids had a great inspiration on Jackie Robinson because they didn’t care about his color they just wanted him to play good. Jackie Robinson was “proud to be a part of a significant breakthrough” (Robinson) in breaking the color barrier. Even though Jackie Robinson has been through
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.
Robinson began playing baseball professionally after being discharged from the army. He started playing in the Negro Leagues, because at this time the sport was segregated and African Ame...
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.
An African-American man who faced Racism and insult of White people. He was born in Cairo, Georgia. But, because his family were African American, he faced poverty, which cause him to live hard time, during childhood. In 1920, Robinson’s family decided to moveto Pasadena, California. When he went to school, Jackie got a lots of scout by a school coach. In high school, Jackie mastered most of the sports, like baseball, football.etc. After his graduation of his high school, Jackie went college in Pasadena. Two years later, he went to the UCLA. But because of his skin color, professional team didn’t scout him on their team. Also, lots of sports teams were segregated during 1930-1940. In 1941, he left the UCLA and help his mother. However, Jackie has to join army for WWII. After he came back in early 1945, Kansas City Monarchs scouted him, and decided to play baseball as his career. But, Because he didn’t play as professional Baseball player, He had to get use to play. However, Jackie already had all the necessary abilities for baseball. During the season, Boston Redsoxs proposed a contract with him. However, Because of the racism action by white people, the deal failed. Lots of sports teams also tried to transfer African American player to Major league. However he decided transfer to Los angeles Dodgers. During the game(in Dodgers), he had lots of insult by other players. However, he endures the
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.
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.
Its America’s pastime. Since 1869, the MLB has been the sweetheart of American sports. A requisite to be a true American is to have a conceptual understanding of baseball; the seventh inning stretch, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” as well as hotdogs and warm summer nights at the ball park are all favorite memories of American pastime. However, what one might not realize is the extreme physics behind the game. The velocity of the pitch, and degree of the ball exiting the bat, the exit speed, and how an outfielder throws are entailed within the physics of baseball. It is important to understand the physics involved with baseball to grow in understanding and appreciation of the sport.
Several white players in the team were so outraged by this decision that they started a petition to refuse to play with Robinson on the team. The whites had grown up with the perception that the blacks were inferior to them and labelled them as ‘worthless’ and ‘dirty’. Growing up with such a stereotype ingrained into their minds led to them being unable to accept a black man on their team. Thus, discrimination and protest was the answer for them when faced with such a situation. Despite the internal unrest within the team itself, Rickey was rooted in his belief that race should not be a determining factor if one could play baseball or