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Jackie Robinson Impact On Society

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In 1947 baseball was all the rage for kids going up. Young boys playing on their local baseball field pretending to be their favorite baseball players. One young man steps up to bat and starts to rub dirt on his hands just like one of his favorite baseball players, Jackie Robinson. A young white boy in the 1940’s during the height on racial tension and Jim Crow laws was pretending to be a black man. It is no secret that Robinson was one of the most influential players of all time in the sport of baseball. From his long standing organization to help members of minority groups attend higher education to 42 day in major league baseball, where players across the league will wear the number 42. “A life is not important except in the impact it has …show more content…

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. In his recent book Extra Bases, he reflects on the arguments and articles that he wrote about 17 years earlier in his book Baseball’s Great …show more content…

This tryout was only possible because of the articles in the local paper written by Wendell Smith. Smith gets forgotten about in the history of Robinson. Smith was there for Robinson during his time in the league and was only behind Rachel and Branch Rickey. Smith wrote articles for the public about Robinson and helped get the word out about how good of a person he was. Smith was not only Robinson’s hand the the people but he was also Robinson personal driver and many other things for Robinson as they traveled the country. The reason why Rickey brought Robinson to the Dodgers is surrounded in mystery. When asked why he brought Robinson to the League Rickey’s Answer has never been the same. Sometimes he answered with the story of a player he coached in 1904, who wept from being barred from staying at the same hotel as his teammates. Other times he would cite moral and religious reasons, although he also frequently denied any noble intentions and stated that he desired to make the best possible team. “The Negors will make us winners for years to come,” and he was not wrong, Robinson’s second year in the league the Dodgers won the World Series. Many historians debate that Rickey only brought Robinson into the league to sell more tickets and to win championships. However, Tygiel argues that a combination of these factors and a desire to make a

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The bold move to sign Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers' minor league franchise, the Montreal Royals, was made in 1945 by general manager Branch Rickey. Although Rickey was fully aware of the challenges Robinson would encounter as the first African American player in Major League Baseball, he firmly believed that Robinson possessed the resilience and skill to overcome the prejudice within the sport and the nation while being highly

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Robinson notices how much he has been a symbol to African Americans, and how he was in “the hurricane eye of a significant breakthrough” (Robinson). Jackie Robinson was not only an important player in Major League Baseball, but an important figure in American

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Robinson faced intense racism, both on and off the field, but he persevered, demonstrating that talent knows no racial boundaries. His legacy extends beyond baseball statistics; it symbolizes the fight for civil rights and equality. Robinson’s jersey number 42 has been retired across all MLB teams, honoring his enduring impact and serving as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and inclusion. Comparing Their Journeys While Guthrie and Robinson operated in different sports, their journeys share common threads. Both faced adversity, skepticism, and

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Rickey wanted to bring an African-American to the Dodgers because he thought it would benefit the team and he was a civil rights activist. According to Mark Schug, Professor Emeritus at UW Milwaukee, “Before 1947, Major League Baseball club owners worried that white fans would stay away if they signed African American players. They worried that white players would refuse to play with African American players; they feared boycotts, fights, strikes, or worse”. Without Rickey, the integration of baseball may not have happened for another couple decades. He

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This quote explains his first appearance in the MLB as an African American. Jackie Robinson had his mind set on his goal. He did not give up because he was different. Although he encountered many hardships, he continued to try his hardest and eventually joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. This fits in with what I know because people today are still bashed for their race.

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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).

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His play on the baseball diamond and the way he acted towards racism inspired a generation of African Americans to question the doctrine of “separate but equal” that 17 states had adopted in the US. Robinson finally broke his emotional and political silence in 1949 (4 years into his MLB career) and became an outspoken and controversial opponent of racial discrimination. He also objected to the Jim Crow practices in the southern states where most baseball clubs conducted spring training. What African Americans admired him for was that he was a black man with courage to stand up against injustice. He paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement with the help of other great activists and

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In Howie Evans article he says, Jackie also strongly believed in education, people say that after he retired he could mostly be found at colleges and schools talking to the students (1). Even when Jackie stopped playing baseball he could still be found helping and inspiring others to do what they want. Finally, Jackie left an impact on baseball as a whole. In the article “Jackie Robinson” it says that “just as Jackie placed his stamp on baseball, his historic role in baseball had stamped him” and that he had a big impact on the struggle for colored people playing sports (1). This shows that Jackie had an overall effect on baseball and people in the twentieth sentry and it has left an impact on it now too.

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He was a big part in the fight for equal rights. Jackie Robinson took so much abuse on the field because of his race that it gave him mental breakdowns. These breakdowns sometimes took days to recover from but he went through all of that so other people would have better opportunities. But this didn’t just go on for one season, Robinson had to deal with that racism for about two years before he was really accepted as a “respected” baseball player. (Kuhn,web) and (Wilson,web).

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To do that, he had to find someone that could withstand racial discrimination and learn to not fight back when dealt with harsh criticism. Jackie Robinson took an amazing risk when he became the first African-American athlete to play in the major leagues. Robinson has been a huge inspiration to athletes, paving the way for blacks, not just in the game of baseball, as well as being an outspoken activist for the rights of American-Americans. Baseball was segregated at the time, but Jackie took an unbelievable risk, breaking the color barrier in the sport.

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Jackie Robinson has impacted many young baseball players today. He had to of had so much courage to be the first African American MLB player in history. To be able to just ignore every bad thing that was said to him, and keep playing aggressively. I think that from him doing that, it gave other African American players the guts to want to be in the MLB or any ordinary team in general. Some kids are nervous about going to their first practice or game, but I think that since Jackie Robinson was the first African American MLB player, it helped some kids to not be as nervous.

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Jackie Robinson cracked baseball’s color barrier when the Brooklyn Dodgers signed him in 1947. In 1946, when Robinson began playing professional baseball for the Montreal Royals, the United States was widely segregated. Public restrooms, theaters, and drinking fountains would be labeled “Whites Only”. African Americans continued to be lynched in some states, and restrictive covenants prevented them from purchasing homes in white neighborhoods. In the midst of such widespread racial inequality, Robinson’s contract with the Dodgers was a monumental step towards desegregation in the United States.

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