Jackie Robinson and Civil Rights

Fifty years ago, Jackie Roosevelt Robinson became the first black player to play in a Major League baseball game. The day he stepped onto Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, he broke the color barrier and paved the way for other black athletes. Without Jackie Robinson there would not be Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, or Tiger Woods. Without Jackie Robinson, sports would be very different today. I know someone else may have come along and broken the color barrier, But that person could not have do it better than Jackie Robinson did.

But for Jackie it was harder because he had racial slurs thrown at him. Despite all of the discrimination and racism about Jackie Robinson and his family, he got passed it and became a star. Jackie was an outsider, he was the first African American to play Major league baseball, he used the haters to become an amazing ball player and a hero to other African Americans. Before his outstanding baseball career Jackie did many motivational things. For example, Jackie attended the University of California, Los Angeles.

He stood out as an athlete in high school and college (Jackie Robinson). In the 1940’s, Jackie left the army, where he then started to play in the Negro leagues. The Negro League was for blacks because before Branch signed Robinson there were no blacks allowed in the majors (Damio, Christy). Jackie was an inspiration to many other blacks dreaming of making it big in the majors. Though he would become most well-known for baseball, he also developed a wide reputation for basketball, football, and track at the University of California, in L.A, while he was there between 1939-1941 (Jackie Robinson).

Branch Rickey started his baseball career as just a mediocre player at best. (Baseball Hall of Fame) He may not have been the best of players, but he definitely made a huge impact on baseball. Branch Rickey was one of the most important and influential people in forming and shaping the way baseball is today. Branch Rickey created the minor league farm club system, which today gives young players the opportunity to develop and enhance the skills they need to be great. Branch Rickey’s most important contribution to baseball was when he signed Jackie Robinson.

Such as through movies, radio talk shows, sheet music, comic books, and sports magazines. Even though many of Jackie’s fans showed their support towards him, many who hated him sent him death threats or even threw things at him. While under all this pressure Jackie still focused on baseball and showed everyone that he was a great baseball player: “ Baseball was just part of my life. Thank God that I didn’t allow a sport or a business or any part of my life to dominate me completely … I felt that I had my time in the athletics and that was it.” He won a lot of peoples respect and also became a symbol of black opportunity. Even the magazine Sporting News, which was against black baseball players, acknowledged his great skill and ability in the game of baseball and awarded him with the Rookie of the Year award in 1947.

Jackie played baseball, basketball, football, and track. In 1949 Jackie was All-American on his football team. He had many difficulties playing sports; He was forced to join the U.S. Army. After of serving two years in the military he eventually left the service with honorable discharge. Jackie played one season in 1945 for the Negro Baseball League.

He hit a respectable .288 for the season and attracted the attention of major league scouts. In February of 1954, Clemente signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and reported for duty to their top minor league team, the Montreal Royals. The man who signed Clemente, scout Al Campanis, had pleaded with Dodger management to place him on the major league roster right away. Otherwise, Roberto might be lost to another major league team after only one season. The Dodgers would come to regret their decision.

The reason many people had their eyes on him was, because he was the first African-American player to play in the Major Leagues. He was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Before Robinson broke the barrier of the first African-Americans to play in the league, they were restricted to the Negro League. Then in 1950 baseball started to expand its geographic range and started getting western teams to attempt to lure teams from the eastern coast to come west or they formed a so called expansion team. An expansion team is just players that are made available by established teams.

Robinson made a huge difference in the Civil Rights Movement and to the world of baseball. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the Major League Baseball. Jackie changed the way Americans thought about him and African Americans. Robinson had amazing stats during his baseball career. Robinson didn’t have an insignificant childhood like many ordinary children.

"(Scott) Because of the great players of the 20's , many athletes are often compared back to the originals. The sport stars of this era remain well known today. Baseball was a huge part of the evolution of sports in the 20's between the Negro National League, the death of Ray chapman, Lou Gehrig, and one of the greatest baseball players known to man, Babe Ruth. In the 20's, segregation was present even through sports. In baseball, the Negros were not aloud to play with white people.