Growing up in a white neighborhood and playing baseball with only whites, Robinson battled with racism throughout his life. He constantly had to prove himself and stand up for himself as well. People did not believe that Robinson would make it in the Major Leagues. It was evident that the Brooklyn Dodgers were taking a big risk in signing Robinson. Many of their fans were furious, other teams, and even their own players did not want him on the team but numerous of people came to watch Robinson play. On the other hand, the blacks were all excited to have a colored person in the big leagues and would come all over the United States to watch him play. Someone of a different color other than white was a big deal in that time period. Robinson and …show more content…
The opposing team tried to hurt him by spiking him, aiming the ball at his head, called him unpleasant names, and his own teammates avoided him. The racial discrimination was not just on the baseball field; he encountered a lot of trouble when they were on the road. Many cities did not allow Robinson to stay at the same hotel as the team and restaurants would not serve him. Therefore he was forced to eat his meals and sleep on the bus. The only positive applauses and cheers came from the colored section at the games, some Brooklyn Dodger fans, and Branch Rickey that also backed him up. Robinson left America speechless with his skills of the game, “after a dazzling first season, he was named Rookie of the Year and for the next decade, he enjoyed a stellar career while waging a continual battle against racism” (Chase 1996). Robinson won respect from all his teammates and the fans when he was stealing bases, hitting homeruns, and helping the Dodgers win. The Dodgers team leader, Pee Wee Reese stood up for Robinson when opposing were bitter towards him. With all the threats and insults Robinson received he remained quiet about and countless number of people praised him for his brave and courageous
A couple details that will help the reader understand is imagine if you were born back in the day’s and had to go throw the things they had to go throw with the blacks and white and baseball. In 1946, Branch Rickey know as (Harrison Ford), legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers team, defies major league baseball's notorious color barrier by bring Jackie Robinson know as (Andr`e Holland) to the team. The heroic act puts both Rickey and Robinson in the firing line of the public, the press, and other players as well. Facing racism from all sides, Robinson demonstrates true courage and admirable restraint by not reacting in kind and letting his undeniable talent silence the critics for him. It took place in 1947 in Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, also historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
In paragraph 3, it states, “it hadn't been that easy to fight the resentment expressed by players on other teams, by the team owners, or by bigoted fans screaming ‘n----” (Robinson). But even with this violence, Robinson had support as well. He states, “black people supported me with total loyalty. They supported me morally: they came to sit in a hostile audience in unprecedented numbers to make the turnstiles hum” (Robinson) in paragraph 4. As people realized how well Robinson played, and how much profits increased, people started to accept him.
They thought that Jackie Robinson was not good enough for the mlb. They also thought that Jackie Robinson was a bad guy and would get into fights. Even though jackie robinson had a quick trigger and fought sometimes he would also keep calm and ignore the fans. However jackie robinson was one of the best players of all time people also at that time would call him racial names and he stayed calm sometimes and did not fight back. Everyone should get a chance to prove themselves.
Robinson played first base, a position putting him within earshot of the visiting team (Simon, 2002). Robinson did a solid job at first, but he stole the show when he layed down a perfect bunt to set up the game winning run in the seventh inning (Simon, 2002). With Jackie already making plays, 52,000 people swarmed to the Polo Grounds for the next game to witness the first colored MLB player of the twentieth century (Simon, 2002). Jackie’s playmaking ability on the field was creating fans along with some who still thought Jackie had no business in the MLB.
Robinson had a tremendous amount of talent, which didn’t go unnoticed. Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager liked Jackie’s demeanor and style of play. At the time Rickey was looking for someone to integrate baseball, with those kind of qualities, Robinson was the perfect person for the job. He knew that integrating the sport would not be easy but Robinson was up for the challenge and would be able to handle it with no violence. Integration in general had picked up during this time, WWII, people did not believe it was right that African Americans were allowed to die and fight beside that of a White American Soldier but yet weren’t allowed to play a sport with them.
Robinson was the first African-American baseball player to play in the MLB. While in the MLB Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1959 under many different managers including Branch Rickey. Rickey had been interested in Robinson because of not only his skill but his ability of not to fight back (Rubinstein 20-25). On August 28, 1945, Rickey had a meeting with Robinson and Rickey told Robinson that he would have to deal with the greatest harassment and vituperation any player had ever faced (Rubinstein 20-25). Robinson eventually made his Major League debut on April 15, 1947, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color barrier (Rubinstein
His immense work ethic and determination proved how he persevered under extraordinary circumstances. Robinson has received numerous awards including his long list of accolades in the MLB, but he has also achieved awards for his contributions outside of baseball, such as the presidential medal of freedom and the congressional gold medal. This further demonstrates his commitment to never giving up on the goals he set out for, making his success inevitable. Since then, the world has become a much better place for people of color in the United States. Robinson should be recognized not only for the goals he has accomplished but also for how he accomplished them.
In this case, Kirby Higbe became a bigot. He signed a petition that specially made for Robinson. Players on the Dodgers team would sign this petition because they felt uncomfortable whenever Robinson was around them. They felt uncomfortable playing with him. It even got to the point where they couldn’t look at him in the eyes.
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to “break baseball’s color barrier” and play as a part of a white league. Robinson stepped out if the negro leagues to play for the all-white Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the first black person to play in Major League Baseball. There were, of course, obstacles. People were racist to him because most of the country was segregated, and Robinson faced rejection from players from other teams, their team owners, bigoted white fans, and even his own teammates.
October 23, 1945, Jackie Robinson shook hands with Branch Rickey, officially changing baseball and society, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson grew up in a poor household in Pasadena, California. He attended UCLA, making himself a four sport star athlete . Major league baseball had been segregated at the time, with the only black men playing in separate Negro Leagues. Branch Rickey, the owner of the Dodgers, wanted to break the color barrier.
While fighting for equal rights Robinson also kept his spirits up. Many of Robinsons credit Jackie with being the light of the team. His teammates say that Jackie Robinson Was a big reason that they put so much time, work and heart into the game, they say that Robinson was what they turned to so that they could keep going. The Dodgers won six pennants with Robinson on their team and Pee Wee Reese, Robinson 's “best friend” said Jackie was a big part of that. (The Lincoln Library of Sports Champions pg.82) and (Kuhn,web).
Robinson's life was devoted in ending segregation by playing the sport he loved most of all. By overcoming all the challenges on the baseball field from his teammates to the fans in the crowd booing him. He became the face of baseball and the person who changed the game for ever. After baseball he wasn't done there he became a great civil rights leader and helped many African Americans overcome challenges. When the bank was not treating the Africans fairly he stepped in by founding the free national bank which helped a ton of people out and made the bank fair for everyone.
By not giving up, he was an inspiration to others. In the text it says "Robinson was arrested and court-martialed in 1944 for refusing to give up his seat and move to the back of a segregated bus” (biography.com). This shows how he was racially
Jackie understood that him playing in the major league was bigger than just him playing baseball. It was a step toward the desegregation of baseball and American society and Robinson knew that. Lots of books have been written about not only Robinson’s time in the league but also many on the impact Robinson had on race relations as well as what this meant for the future of African Americans. Jules Tygiel has written a couple books about Robinson and how he was Baseball’s Great Experiment, however he has recently revisited the topic in 2002. Where he reflects on Robinson, race, and the history of baseball.
Jackie Robinson challenged white America’s societal perception of African American at the time. “Robinson won Rookie of the Year in 1947. In later seasons, more African-Americans joined other teams in the Major Leagues, as Robinson continued to excel. His success gained him fans from all over the country.” (Mcbirney 14).