“Hey Jackie, you should play baseball.” Jackie Robinson had no intention to play baseball. Jackie Robinson had to deal with many racial comments and put downs, but Jackie never gave up and ended up as a Major League hero. Jackie played many sports in high school and he was good at all of them. He lettered in every sport he played in high school. After high school, he didn’t have any intention to play sports anymore. Jackie actually enlisted in the army. He served two years and he ranked second lieutenant. Jackie’s army career ended really short compared to many other veterans. Jackie had to go to court for his objections against racial discrimination. After that jumble was done, Jackie came home and played For the Kansas City Monarchs, which is in the Negro League. He traveled the whole Midwest playing baseball with them. Jackie led the team in every offensive category and he only played one season. After his season with the Monarchs, Branch Rickey approached him about coming up and playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major League had not had an African American since 1889, when baseball became segregated. Jackie accepted this offer. Jackie was the first to break the color barrier in the Major League. Jackie started his first game on April 15th, and that was only the start of Jackie’s legend of a career (Jackie Robinson , 2011).
Jackie’s first game was very rough for him. Jackie went 0 for 3 at the plate. Jackie was very nervous. Jackie progressed throughout the season and he became the rookie of the year with 12 home runs, 29 steals, and a .297 batting average. Jackie got voted as the National League’s most valuable player. After that Jackie won the batting title (Jackie Robinson , 2011). Jackie is a legend when it comes to...
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...’t let that bother his game. Jackie strived to do better when he heard those comments. Jackie knew that he could do it and he set his mind to do it. Over his career, Jackie accomplished the goals that he had created for himself. Jackie is a hero, was a hero, and will always be a hero. Jackie will be a legacy that will never be forgotten in the game of baseball itself.
Works Cited
Sirs. (2008, April 25). Retrieved May 14, 14, from Baseball Honors jackie Robinson,Who Integragated Game in 1947.
Jackie Robinson . (2011). Retrieved May 14, 2014, from Jackie Robinson The Official Website: http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/bio.html
Danneheisser, R. (2008 , May 2). Sirs. Retrieved May 14, 2014, from Baseball Honors Jackie Robinson,Who Integragated in 1947.
Dodd, M. (2007, April 12). Sirs. Retrieved May 14, 2014, from 60 years After Robinson, Is His Legacy Fading Away?
In “Jackie’s Debut: A Unique Day,” is written by Mike Royko, and appeared in the Chicago Daily News on Wednesday, October 15, 1972, the day after Jackie passed away. This article is about one of the most famous and cultural African Americans to ever play the game of baseball. In the beginning of the story, there were wise men sitting in the tavern that had something to say about Jackie. They weren’t the kindest words and said that he would ruin the game of baseball. Jackie was going to be at Wrigley Field and the kid had to see him perform. Him and his friend always walked to the baseball games to avoid streetcar fare. On that day, Wrigley Field was packed. He had never seen anything like it, there were about 47,000 people there and at the
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major-League baseball. His inspiring actions and wise words are remembered even now, and on Jackie Robinson day, all baseball players wear his jersey:“42”. Many biographies have been written, and one biography, The Noble Experiment. Recently, in April 2013, Legendary Motion Pictures released a movie entitled “42”. In many ways, the film and Jackie’s autobiography are alike. However, the are also different in many ways.
Jackie Robinson was the most influential ball player of all time. Jackie was born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919. Robinson had a tough childhood since his dad left his family when he was only 1 year old. This was very difficult for his family, so Jackie, his mom, and his 4 siblings moved to California. This move actually helped Jackie in the long run as he later attended UCLA. At UCLA, Jackie became the first 4-letter man. This meant that he was the first person in the school’s history to join four varsity sports teams. From there, Jackie went on to the army and then to the Negro Leagues. During his time in the Negro Leagues, Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was looking for a black man to break the
“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
Jackie Robinson decided to fight to be the first African American to integrate the Major League Baseball (MLB). His autobiography states he “was forced to live with snubs rebuffs and rejections” ( Robinson). This quote shows that he was treated unfairly and disrespectfully. In Robinson’s autobiography it also states that Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier and created equal oppurtunity proving that a “sport can’t be called national if blacks are barred from it”
Jackie Robinson changed baseball in America in the 1940s by breaking the segregation barrier that was bestowed on baseball. Robinson played in the Negro League for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1945 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers negotiated a contract with Robinson that would bring Robinson into the major leagues in 1947. Baseball was segregated because of racial intolerance, economic factors, and other complex reasons. The major leagues would rent out their stadiums to the Negro League teams when their own team would be on the road. For example, if the Brooklyn Dodgers were on the road they would rent out their stadium to the Kansas City Monarchs. Major League team owners also knew if they integrated the Majors the Negro League would lose their best players and the Negro League would be lost. Also, the Majors would lose significant revenue.
According to Jessie Jackson, "A champion wins a World Series or an Olympic event and is hoisted on the shoulders of the fans. A hero carries the people on his shoulders" (Robinson 3). This is what made Jackie Robinson a hero to African-Americans. Robinson's achievement goes beyond the statistics and championships he earned on the field. He opened the door for his entire race to play professional sports and gain acceptance as more desegregation took place. After fighting in World War II from 1941 until 1944, Jackie played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues from 1944 until 1946. In 1946, he was selected as the best person to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
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
Jackie Robinson started playing baseball in 1947. He was the first player who played in the black man league and joined the white man team. He was used to playing in the Negro League and the style of play; it was a hard transition for Jackie to get used to the white man league. Jackie was the main symbol of hope to millions of people. He was with the dodgers and had the number forty two. He won most of his games being on base and doing his Negro style of playing. Jackie won six pennants in 10 seasons of playing baseball. He stole home 19 times with his trickery of running the bases. He was named MVP in 1949. Jackie led the league hitting 342 and stole 37 times while hitting 124 runs.
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.
Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player to play on the professional level, he was fearless, courageous, willful and strong. He was an advocate for civil rights, as well as a great baseball player. He had to try to keep quiet, and keep to himself while playing, but became a stronger and more extreme advocate over time. A leader on and off the fields dealing with much more than just baseball, he also had to deal with the criticism and racial tensions of a prominently white game. Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was a showman who knew how to make money and fame in baseball “he had made a fortune for the cardinals as well as himself, and black talent could argument his bottom line by transforming his struggling dodgers into a power house” (Zeiler, 17). He wanted to make his team great by any means possible. He put his eyes on Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson changed the game and the world, and will always be a huge figure in baseball and civil rights.
Jackie (Robinson), 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’ll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I’m doing this because you are a great ballplayer, a fine gentleman. (Quoted in Giants of Baseball, Gutman, Rickey)
The time came on April 15, 1947 when the man who would change all this stepped up to bat marking the first time an African American played in the major leagues. Jackie Robinson was the man and the hero of baseball to the black people. With much hope Jackie Robinson and the African American race marked the beginning of the struggle for the ultimate goal which was equality. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the son of a sharecropper and life wasn’t ea...
Jackie Robinson was a black man that played a white man only sport. Jackie Robinson’s life was outstanding regardless of the obstacles that were thrown in his way in order for him to make it to the top. Jackie Robinson overcame the pain people put him through with the support of his family, friends, and his God given talent, which was playing baseball. Jackie Robinson overcame the negativity of white people during the Civil Rights Movement. For this reason, Jackie Robinson never gave up on his dream and proved people wrong. Jackie Robinson became a vocal champion for the African-American athletes around the world (“Robinson, Jackie - Black History”).
Robinson created an entire career by using his passion to help the civil movement. “Jackie Robinson became the first Major League baseball player to break the color barrier since 1880.” (McBirney, 5). Every advancement he made to his community was through baseball. As his influence and popularity gained a following of interest, Jackie Robinson used these types of opportunities to spread his beliefs. “Jackie Robinson wrote: ‘The right of every American to first class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.’” (Jackie Robinson - Mini Bio, 00:02:14 - 00:02:28). Though many whites did not share his beliefs, Jackie used his field ability to show that he could be just like the other players and maybe even better, despite his skin color. “In later seasons, more African Americans joined other teams in the Major Leagues, as Robinson continued to excel,” (McBirney, 7). An eloquent example of equality and bravery, Robinson opened the eyes of the public to see that black players had the same abilities as white players. This became a beginning spark for the fight of