Jackie Robinson's 'Discrimination In The Film 42'

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Today, sport games and teams in America are made up of athletes of different races, but the situation was not always like that. Before Jackie Roosevelt Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn in 1947 to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers, there had been no athletes of color; Jackie Robinson was the first to break the color barrier in American major league sports. Following his signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson accomplished many feats. His path to success, however, was not easy, especially with the athlete being in the presence of vicious racial discrimination, a major issue in America during his time. Jackie Robinson faced problems at the hands of his peers as well as the people who did not want to share the sporting fields with those who are not white, but he was able to handle these problems with grace. Eventually his experiences displayed in the film 42 would earn …show more content…

During his time and beyond, the American society battled major issues of racism and segregation, especially in sports. The film 42 portrays this issue using Jackie Robinson’s experience at during his career. Before signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson had to be warned about racist remarks and threats that would be thrown at him anytime. The fact that racism is expected in his career makes it clear that the issue is very serious in the society he is in. The issue is proven to be worse as the film displays most of Jackie Robinson’s teammates refusing to play with him, a Black man, and signing a petition to make sure he does not play with them. The petition is fortunately rejected, but it is evident that his white teammates were more than uncomfortable with a Black man on their team. The majority of the public were also seemingly against the idea of a Black player from the way they threw racist remarks and cries of discouragement at all the games Robinson played. A man even went out of his way to make