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.
Breaking the Racial Barrier in Baseball
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.
According to Jessie Jackson, "A champion wins a World Series or an Olympic event and is hoisted on the shoulders of the fans.
The African-American player caught the attention of Branch Rickey. However Branch Rickey was the official manager of the Brooklyn dodgers. Rickey wanted to turn the tables in Baseball and combine Whites-Americans and African-Americans to play together as a family. Rickey convinced Robinson to play and be the first African-American in the Major Leagues. In 1945 he signed his first contract with The Montreal Royals with a condition that he needs to manage his attitude and fury because if not, the media will eat him alive and there will be a battle on the field. “I realize what I am going into” he says. I realize what it means to me and to my race and to baseball too. I’m very happy for this chance and I can only say I’ll do my best to make the grade (Stone
Jackie Robinson lit the torch and passed it down on to several generations of African Americans. He fought the battle against discrimination as an African American athlete. He overcame the obstacles faced in his career. Jackie was able to prove that African Americans were just as good as whites in baseball. He inspired other athletes to get this recognition in the sport they played. Today, he is still considered to be one of the biggest impacts on sports and one of the greatest athletes to ever live. Jackie was tested to be responsible in the hardest of times and made it successfully without hurting anyone or their rights. Robinson won the war.
I think Jackie Robinson was very successful in his career because he did a lot more than just play baseball. He had to believe in himself and had to have lots of courage and determination to go out there and to be the first one to break the color barrier. I've always wonder if Jackie Robinson wasn't the first one to break the colored barrier who would it have been? I look up to Jackie Robinson today because if he went out there and did that I can go out in the world and do whatever I want I just have to work hard and have determination to get there.
Jackie Robinson showed his intelligence through his actions. He was not only a great baseball player, but also a good businessman and executive. While he was on the baseball field, he had many fans that loved him and some many who hated him. But he didn’t let them stop him from pursuing his career. Many people who didn’t like him, threw rocks and bottles at him just because he was black, and even sent him death threats to him in the mail. But unlike many people, he did not fight back, instead he ignored them and proved that he was the greatest baseball player at that time: “ Jackie Robinson did not merely play at center stage.
From the time he was a little boy, Jackie Robinson was a likeable individual who tried to better himself and society. He demonstrated traits of extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness, but not neuroticism. Robinson's array of traits allowed him to succeed in life and pave a path for future members of the African American race. As he once boldly put it, "The game had done so much for me, and I had done so much for it" (134).
There are various people in the world who are very influential in many different ways. The people who are influential are the people who inspire people to not give up, people who stand up for what they believe in, and people who overcome difficult things in their life. One of those people is the man who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson is influential because of his accomplishments, courageousness, and also his ability to stay strong and fight for his rights.
Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson
Courage and determination. These two things are hard to find in life, but for some it is the only means of life. For Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, this was his life. Whether its discrimination, cruelty, or undeserved harsh judgment, Jackie Robinson has endured it all. Starting with his early life and concluding with his legacy, we will explore the “life and legend of Jackie Robinson”.
Jackie Robinson is an iconic figure from the 19th century who helped open people's minds and hearts to equal rights upon different races. He was a man who always stood by his word and never gave in to the cruel treatment and words from others. Jackie Robinson always found a way to persevere through every circumstance not matter the difficulty. Throughout his 53 year lifespan, every day he became more and more committed to equal treatment until finally he wasn’t able to anymore. Im positive that if he had lived a year longer, he would’ve still fought just like the way he did back in the day. Jackie Robinson never gave up, and that’s what really shown through. For example, the article “Jackie Changed Face of Sports” states, “Robinson learned