42: A pioneer of diversity in sports
Early Life (before the MLB)
Jackie Robinson was born on January 19, 1919, in Cairo Georgia. Early in his childhood, he and his family encountered a great deal of racism as they were the only African American family on their block according to Britannica.com. Jackie enrolled in UCLA and excelled in multiple sports such as football, basketball, track, and baseball. In 1942 he was forced to enroll in the US military to support his family. He was promoted to high as the second lieutenant. While in the military Jackie was faced with a court-martial in 1944 for refusing to abide by the then-common practice that African Americans sit at the back of busses according to Britannica.com. This resulted in Jackie’s wrongful honourable discharge from the army. This fueled his passion for civil rights and activism. Later he decided to join the Negro American Baseball league with the Kansas City Monarchs according to Britannica.com. While playing for the Monarchs he was scouted by the Brooklyn Dodgers General manager Branch Rickey. Rickey was like a saviour to Jackie. He signed him to the Dodgers and ensured that he was ready to endure the racism that he would face in the Major League of Baseball according to Briannica.com.
Major league career
April 15, 1947 history was made. Jackie Robinson was the first player of African American heritage to play a game in the MLB. While there he did not just play, he dominated. He accumulated accolades such as 1947 rookie of the year, he had the league’s highest batting average with a .342 Batting average, and he topped this year off with achieving the MVP award according to britannica.com. These achievements came at a cost for Jackie though. Throughout that 1947 season, his presence in the league caused utter turbulence. Aside from the constant verbal abuse ranging from racist slurs to outright death threats, he endured physical pain as well such as being pitched at in games and having objects like glass bottles thrown at him by fans at games according to britannica.com. Although he endured a lot of unfair treatment, to say the least, some good people supported Jackie through that 1947 year and beyond. MLB commissioner Ford Frick took a stance against racism and imposed a rule that if any player chose to strike due to Jackie’s presence would be suspended from the league. Also, the captain of the Brooklyn Dodgers Pee Wee Reese “left his position on the field and put an arm around Robinson in a show of solidarity when fan heckling became intolerable, and the two men became lifelong friends. ``According to britannica.com Robinson endured this throughout his entire career and still led the Dodgers to 6 world series championships.
Post Baseball:
Jackie retired from the sport in 1957, he finished his 10-year career with 197 stolen bases, 137 home runs and 734 RBI. This cemented Jackie’s impact on the game of baseball which earned him a baseball hall of fame induction in 1962, making him the first African American player to ever do so, according to britannica.com. With all this spare time Jackie decided to take on a passion for his: civil rights. He joined the NAACP and befriended the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. He used this platform to inspire young African Americans, and speak out against racism. Jackie passed away on October 24, 1972. His impact on the game of baseball is still felt today as he paved the way for many African American players in not only baseball but sports in general, as he became one of the first African American pro sports sensations. Jackie famously stated, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Although his dreams were not realized during his lifetime, Jackie’s presence as a figure of goodness and equality lives on today in all sports. Although it is still not perfect, we have come a long way, this is thanks to brave people like Jackie Robinson.
Reflection:
I was inspired to write this due not only to it being February: Black History month at the time, but I also chose to write this in light of the recent surge in high-profile police brutality upon African Americans in the United States. I was specifically inspired by the killing of George Floyd an unarmed African American man. This inspired me to write about an African American hero: Jackie Robinson, as he had also experienced racism and violence due to the colour of his skin like Floyd. I chose to do this to spread some awareness about the issue of racism and inequality regarding African Americans.
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