Baseball's Greatest Man
Not long ago, baseball was an all white sport. For Negroes, the Negro league was created and was the only place to play, it had none of the perks of major league baseball like salary, fans, or nice fields. Thankfully, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and changed baseball forever and for the better.
Jackie
had a harsh childhood. Jackie was born on January 31,
1919 in Cairo, GA. When his father left, Jackie's mother decided to
move the family out to California. Jackie was only sixteen months old.
When they got to California, they lived with his mother's brother,
Burton. Before they arrived in California, his mother had made
arrangements to find other living conditions because Burton's house
would be over crowded. So Jackie's mother took a job washing and
ironing clothes. There was not enough money from her job though, so she
went to welfare for help. Jackie's mother was a very busy person, and
she always went to work before sunrise, and always returned from work
late. When she was home, she was usually exhausted, but she still made
the energy to help her kids and take care of them. Since Jackie had a
lot of free time, he had some jobs. He had a paper route, he cut lawns,
and he ran errands for people. Later in his life, he went to John Muir
Technical High and earned letters in football, basketball, baseball,
and track. Then he attended UCLA. Even though he was asked by the
university board to stay, and was even offered financial support, he
only went to college for two years because he had used up all his
athletic eligibility. After college, Jackie signed up to play baseball
for the Honolulu Bears, a minor league team. After his 1st season,
Jackie made plans to go back to California and visit his mother and his
soon to be wife, Rachel. The ship that he was traveling on left the
dock at Pearl Harbor on December 5, 1941, two days before the Japanese
bombed Pearl Harbor.
Upon arriving in California, he heard that the Army was drafting, and being a good American, he signed up. When he got the call to join the Army, he was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas for Basic Training. After he was done with basic training, he was put into a cavalry uniform. Later that year, he was honorably dismissed. That's because Jackie was arrested by M.P.s since he refused to move to the back of the bus.
Now, Jackie was onto the majors. Rickey Branch, the manager of the MLB, knew that if he let Jackie play that there would be hard times ahead for Jackie and made him promise to not fight back when criticized, but rather to remain calm. From the beginning of his career with the Dodgers, Jackie's will was tested, even by some of his new teammates. People in the crowds sometimes jeered at Robinson and he and his family received threats. Aside from the racism, mostly at away games, Jackie had an outstanding start with the Royals, leading the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage. His excellent year led to a promotion to the Dodgers, with his first game on April 15, 1947, marking the first time an African-American athlete played in the major leagues.
Even
under immense pressure and circumstances, Jackie Robinson
was a great baseball player. But at the beginning, nobody was sure
Jackie was worth it. His batting average was .297. In baseball, that is
very good. It means he hit almost 3 times out of 10 pitches. He also
hit 12 home runs,and 48 runs batted in. Those are excellent stats
for a man in his rookie season. By the end of the season, the Dodgers
loved him and were amazed by his skill. Jackie was definitely worth it.
Not only was Jackie Robinson helping the Dodgers win, but he was helping his race win. In 1947, segregation was everywhere. On a bus, the blacks would have to sit at the back and the whites sat at the front. If someone that was black refused to move to the back, he or she would be arrested. Blacks couldn't play any professional sports like football or basketball. Baseball was an all white sport also. Any black man wishing to play could play in the Negro leagues. The Negro league was not anything like the pros. When Jackie stepped on that field, the Negroes had won a step toward equality. One great statement from the Dodgers official website says, “The social impact of Jackie Robinson’s inclusion into Major League Baseball in 1947 resonates as one of the civil rights movement’s most significant triumphs.” Jackie played the first step in giving equality to the African-Americans.
Jackie Robinson passed away on October 24, 1972 in Stamford, CT. However, his legacy still lives on. If Jackie hadn't stayed calm and relaxed about himself, whites may have proved to the others that baseball was an all white sport. Because Jackie did stay calm, anybody who wants to can play baseball. We are all grateful for Jackie Robinson.