The Importance Of Baseball By Jackie Robinson

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This year marks the 70th anniversary of the year Jackie Robinson stepped onto a major league baseball field, becoming the first African American player to participate at the professional level. Similar to the majority of American Society, Major League Baseball began as a segregated sport. Major League teams were specifically designated as whites-only, while African-Americans were placed in Negro Leagues forming in the 1900’s. The desegregation of baseball was a huge step for the African-American community, and some even argue it was the first step toward the fight against segregation. The popularity gained by those such as Robinson was essential to the success of the civil rights movement. This paper will analyze the process through which Jackie Robinson became the leading figure in the desegregation …show more content…

Ricky constantly stressed to his peers that a mass of talent was being wasted by not allowing those of color to play in the majors. One of his most influential lines, in regards to baseball’s integration was "Baseball people, and that includes myself, are slow to change and accept new ideas. I remember that it took years to persuade them to put numbers on uniforms” (Branch Rickey Quotes). With his passionate desires and comical charm, he was able to convince the Dodgers to take a chance on Robinson. Despite signing him, the Dodgers understood the huge risk they were taking. The backlash from fans, other teams, and even their own players could tear the organization apart. These fears ranged from simply losing a portion of their fans, to the outright loss of support and collapse of their funding. Additionally, they understood the abuse and discrimination Robinson would undergo. If Robinson would fail, it would likely be a long period of time before integration was attempted again. Despite this, Ricky put his faith in

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