Jackie Robinson: Racial Equality In Sports

April 15, 1997, a day that baseball will always remember. This was the day that Jackie Robinson’s number was retired. The historic #42 was retired for all teams. It was a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Shea Stadium (Muder). Commissioner Bud Selig declared that it would be retired throughout baseball. This was the 68th anniversary of Jackie’s first game as a Dodger (Muder). African American baseball legend, Jackie Robinson, paved the way for racial equality in sports. Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie was born into a poor family, and he was the youngest of four siblings. Jackie’s parents were Mallie and Jerry Robinson (Biography.com Editors). Jackie attended
He played for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945. Later that year, Brooklyn Dodgers’ manager, Branch Rickey came to Jackie to offer for him to play for the Montreal Royals which was a farm team for the Dodgers (Biography.com Editors). In his first year as a Royal, Jackie led the International League with a .349 batting average and a .985 fielding percentage. Jackie joined the Dodgers for the 1947 season (Biography.com Editors). He was placed in the lineup for his first game by interim manager, Clyde Sukeforth, who was replaced by Burt Shotten (Muder). Clyde admired Mr. Robinson, and he once said, ¨There was something about that man that just gripped you. He was tough, he was intelligent, and he was proud” (Muder). Jackie went 0-for-3 in his first game, but he handled all eleven chances he had at first base
He became the first black player in the Major Leagues. When he signed with the Dodgers, he agreed to Branch Rickey´s request to not fight back to racism. Branch Rickey told him, ¨Jackie, we’ve got no army. There’s virtually nobody on our side. No owners, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I’m afraid that many fans will be hostile. We can convince the world that I’m doing this because your a great ballplayer, a fine gentleman¨ (Katz et al 208). Jackie was able to take the abuse without fighting back, “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me...All I ask is that you respect me as a human being” (“Jackie Robinson Quotes”). Jackie kept his word and did not fight back even though faced serious attacks. Rickey first tested how he would respond to racism. He was jeered, some teammates objected, and he and his family received death threats (Biography.com Editors). Many players, even some of his own teammates, refused to play with him, but Dodgers’ owner, Leo Durocher, said that he would sooner trade them rather than Jackie. In one incident, Philadelphia Phillies players and their manager yelled racist and derogatory terms to Robinson (Biography.com