The man that inspired change:
On January 31, 1919, a baby was born in a small cabin in Cairo, Georgia. Little did his family know that 28 years later this child would make history! The next year the baby's family moved to Pasadena, California, where the baby would grow into a very athletic young man who would take the athletic world by storm. This young man was Jackie Robinson.
Jackie Robinson excelled athletically and eventually played four sports for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), track, baseball, basketball, and football. Jackie was a natural-born athlete who probably could have advanced to the highest level of competition in multiple sports. However, there was one thing hindering him: African Americans were not allowed in professional sports leagues or associations.
Image via NCAA
Although the world knows Jackie for baseball, his first pursuit was football. Football was his first love, and he played semi-pro in Hawaii. Jackie was a star on his team, but he just couldn't make ends meet. Being Black on a semi-professional team meant minimal pay. So after a short stint in Hawaii, Jackie returned to the mainland to seek steady employment. At this time, his life took a turn.
Image via Sporting News
Upon his return to the mainland, Jackie was greeted by news of a war. While sailing home from Hawaii, Pearl Harbor was struck by a surprise attack from the Japanese. As to avoid a draft, Jackie enlisted in the military. Because of his ethnicity, he was often ridiculed and mocked during training sessions. The relaxing part of his days were spent in the barracks where he talked with people who were not judgmental towards him. In one of these conversations, Jackie found out about a man who was planning to create an all-Black baseball team. This man would go on to change Jackie's life forever, his name was Branch Rickey.
Image via National WW11 Museum
After an honorable discharge from the military, Jackie looked into the prospect of semi-pro baseball. A meeting was set up between himself and Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. After a short meeting, Jackie was offered an opportunity to play for the Montreal Royals. During this span of his life, Jackie was married to the love of his life. He was wed to Rachel Robinson on February 10, 1946.
Image via MLB
After a couple of stellar seasons, Jackie got the long-awaited call. Branch Rickey wanted to speak with him, again. At this meeting, Rickey laid out his plan for integrating the MLB. He wanted a brave man who was willing to go up against adversity. He wanted a man that would bear the difficulties with a smile. Most of all, he desired a man that was smart enough to not get caught up in the moment or try to fight back. He saw all these qualities in one man, Jackie Robinson. After a few formalities, it was official, Jackie Robinson was a Brooklyn Dodger.
Image via Forbes
Jackie struggled through spring training, even debating whether to continue on with his dream. Eventually, Jackie did what seemed impossible. On April 15, 1947, Jackie broke the color barrier and became the first Black player to join Major League Baseball. However, a long road lay ahead of Jackie. If any other Black Players wanted a chance in the MLB, Jackie would need to perform exceptionally well.
Image via Dodger Blue
In his rookie season, Jackie became easily one of the most entertaining players to watch. He earned an impressive 0.311 batting average and 12 homeruns. He also had a league high 29 stolen bases, drawing large crowds to many of his games. However, his impressive stats did not end there. By the time he retired after nine seasons, Jackie was one of the most accomplished players in the history of the sport. He finished with 734 runs batted in, 137 homeruns, and an insane 197 stolen bases.
Image via Baseball Hall of Fame
On July 23, 1962, Jackie Robinson's name was etched into history permanently. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame as Branch Rickey watched from the audience. Without Rickey none of this would have been possible. On the 50th anniversary of his Integration, April 15, 1997, Jackie's number 42 was retired from every MLB team, showing his lasting impact on the sport of baseball.
Sadly, on the night of October 24, 1972, Jackie passed on peacefully. His wife Rachel. however, is still alive and is a living reminder of her husband's accomplishment. She also aided in the task of integration by founding the Jackie Robinson Foundation, that provides leadership opportunities for minority students. Rachel was recently honored for her family's accomplishments by throwing out the Dodger's first pitch on Jackie Robinson Day 2022, April 15, 2022.
Image via Brooklyn Eagle
Where the league has gone since:
Although Jackie was the first Black player and arguably the most influential, he was not the only Black player with great accomplishments
Larry Doby was the 2nd Black MLB player, and he was not far behind Jackie. On July 5, 1947, Larry started for the Cleveland Guardians, recently renamed from the Indians. He went on to become the first Black player on both the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox. He retired in 1959 due to several crippling ankle injuries.
Two years later in 1949, Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Hank Thompson of the New York Giants faced off. Newcombe was a pitcher and Thompson was the batter he faced. This occurrence was the first time a Black player on the mound faced a Black player in the box. Newcombe forced Thompson into a routine flyball for the leftfielder. Both players went on to lead Hall of Fame worthy careers.
Don Newcombe also had another great accomplishment, winning the inaugural Cy Young Award. The award was named for Denton "Cy" Young, who finished his career with almost 100 more wins than the nearest challenger. Don Newcombe was awarded the prize for the first time in 1956 and earned it with a league high 27 wins.
Lastly, but definitely not least, was an event that happened in March of 2020. The Negro Leagues, from 1920-1948, were officially upgraded to be considered Major League Baseball. All stats recorded from those 28 seasons would now be in official record books. Any records set during that time would be honored as official, completing the integration of baseball.
Image via CBS Sports
As of May 3, 2022, just over 38% of the MLB is comprised of Black players. A far cry from the zero of just over 75 years ago. There are also now 37 Black players enshrined in Cooperstown, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. This shows dedication to the game and that Black players are in the big leagues to compete with the best of the best.
Jackie Robinson was the start of a movement. A movement to give Blacks the right to play baseball with everybody else. Jackie helped the movement stem from there, eventually gaining Blacks more rights in every aspect of life. Jackie is a good example in many aspects, one of which being the realization that life is bigger than sports.
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