Jackie Robinson

Thomas Martinez

Mr. Storey

English III, 2B

May 5th, 2015

Jackie Robinson

        Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era, was one of the most influential people of his time. Robinson had huge impacts on sports, civil rights, and popular culture. During his life, Jackie Robinson faced unimaginable persecution, keeping his head high as he battled his way into the Major Leagues, becoming a hall of famer, civil rights activist, and American hero. In honor of his legacy Major League Baseball made an official Jackie Robinson Day, on April 15th every player on every baseball team wears number 42. Today Jackie Robinson is a shining example of a proud American who refused to give up on his dreams, and stood for what was right

        Jackie Robinson wasn’t just a black baseball player, he was one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and with his sheer speed and strength, one of the greatest athletes also. Of all the impact Robinson had on the sports world, none are more important than the impact that he had on race relations within sports, changing the way African Americans were viewed as athletes, desegregating the fans within the ballpark, and opening doors for all black athletes in all sports. The Negro Leagues, an African American only baseball league was founded in the 1880’s. Rich white business owners owned the baseball clubs within this league, and viewed the players as slaves, paying them very little, and treating them cruelly. Robinson; whom started his career in the Negro League, with Kansas City in 1945, could not stand the corruption “It was too much for him (Jackie Robinson) to handle, he couldn’t stand the treatment, or the underground gambling, he sought a better future, for himself his family and for blacks everywhere.” (Robinson 5). Robinson quickly became tired of the Negro Leagues corruption, he worked for the next two years trying to get a Major League tryout, and in 1947 he was given a chance by the Brooklyn Dodgers. In his tenure with the Dodgers Jackie Robinson’s poise under scrutiny won over the fans, not just the black fans, the white men and women who once cursed him, and booed him eventually saw Jackie for who he was, a great baseball player, and an even better man. Black men and women, and white men and women sat next to each other in the stadium “It was like nothing anyone had seen before, the ballpark was integrated, no one saw race they just wanted to see Jackie” (Reiser 36). Robinson was more than just a baseball player, he was a story everyone wanted to see him because he was such an inspiration to Americans everywhere, it didn’t matter what color the fans were, they all recognized his struggle. Jackie Robinson was the start of a large movement of African American athletes in the mid 1900’s. If it wasn’t for Robinson’s bravery we may not have seen a black athlete in sports for years to come “Jackie was the start of a revolution in American sports, were black athletes are put in the spotlight, but we needed someone to start this revolution, without him we may have missed out on several famous athletes of this century” (Robinson 172). America need someone brave enough and talented enough to break the color barrier, Jackie Robinson was both. Without him we may have missed out on countless athletes, countless stories would have been lost.

        The Civil rights movement started almost twenty years after Robinson started playing baseball, had he not played, and been that public figure that became famous, the civil rights movement may have been delayed. Jackie Robinson became a civil rights figure through his nonviolent demeanor while playing, through his leadership, and through his life after baseball. When Robinson began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers he was warned by the manager of the hateful treatment by the other players and by the fans, he was unmoved through it all, never fighting back, he stood tall and was the better man. Many thought he was weak, and questioned his pride as a man for not fighting back “When at first the Jeers came, and the unfaltering Robinson came to the plate, they mocked him and questioned his masculinity, but he knew who the bigger man was.” (Greene 45). Robinson knew that he didn’t have to fight back, he also knew that fighting back would mean giving in to the racial stereotypes of the time. Robinson knew that the only way that he could win was through his nonviolent poise on the field. Robinson had rough relationships with his teammates through the first couple years with the dodgers, but as he became there best player and stood up for what was right, they learned to respect him as a human being. His teammates would often stand up for him when they played other teams “His teammates no longer saw him as a black player, they saw him as a leader and they would defend their leader even though they risk their social standing”(Long 156). Robinson’s poise as a leader allowed him to take abuse from others, he was a baseball player, and a tough one. His leadership effected how his teammates, and other people that knew him personally treated him, he became a cause for his teammates to fight for. His leadership on the field really made him a figure of equality, not just in sports, but in all aspects of life. Robinson had a very interesting life after he retired from baseball in 1956, he became the first African American sportscaster, and was the first African American to be a co-CEO of a business (chock-full-of-nuts coffee company), while most people think he was just the first black baseball player, but he was so much more. Robinson opened doors for all African Americans in all aspects of life “Jackie Robinson overcame every obstacle created by the society of his time, and proceeded to knock down the obstacles for the generations to come.”(Greene 49). The life of Jackie Robinson opened the doors for the civil rights activist that came after him, he opened doors for African Americans in sports, business and in news and television.