Erik Popaja Professor Lara Asplund English 2010 30 July 2013 More Than A Player !

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born and raised in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a

family of sharecroppers. Jackie, as he came to be known by, was one of ve children raised single handedly by his courageous mother, Mallie Robinson. Although Jackie had a very humble childhood, he excelled in sports at an early age, becoming the rst athlete ever to earn varsity letters in four different sports including: football, basketball, track, and baseball. Even with all of these accolades, nobody, not even Jackie Robinson himself, could predict that he would become one of the most inuential athletes of all time.! ! The exact origins of baseball is frankly unknown. Some sources and documents

have dated a variation of the game all the way back to 1344, and there are still discussions to this very day about when and where the game originated. Although the origins of the game remains a mystery, it was in 1876 when the National League, the oldest major league in todays game, was founded. Fast forward around twenty years to the 1890s and the baseball color line was established, essentially prohibiting African American participation in baseball. This racial division stood strong and undefeated for almost 60 years. It was then in 1946 that Jackie Robinson signed with the Montreal Royals, erasing the baseball color line.

Although Jackie had managed to get through the color line, his struggles were

only beginning. Being the rst African American to break through the color barrier, Robinson faced an unparalleled amount of scrutiny. This scrutiny included death threats, hate mail, umpires calling against him, players referring to him in derogatory and even racist terms, including some of his own teammates. On a few occasions, some teams would even refuse to play his team, because the owners, players, coaches, and even fans did not approve of an African American professional baseball player. And Jackie often found himself ducking and dodging out of the way of pitches thrown right at him. When you consider all of this you begin to wonder how Jackie Robinson had enough patience to not burst out and retaliate, especially for somebody who was a proud man. Jackie had already demonstrated this pride earlier in his life, when he refused to sit in the back of the bus during his tenure in the army. He knew that he was as good as any other man on that bus, and for his actions he received an honorable discharge from the army. But even with his pride, Jackie Robinson understood that this experiment that Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers Executive who arranged the acquisition of Jackie, was more important than his pride. He understood that the odds were against him, and that if he failed, there would be no more opportunities for African American athletes to play professionally. It is because of this in-depth understanding, great selessness, and perseverance against the odds, that Jackie Robinson is celebrated today both as a baseball player and as a civil rights advocate. ! Although his rookie season started off with several riots, mishaps, and incidents,

Robinson went on to have a fantastic rookie season, even winning the MLB Rookie of the year award. During his rookie season, Robinson hit 12 home runs, had a .297

batting average, and had a league-leading 29 steals. It was after this incredible rookie season that some people began to see that perhaps he does belong in the white leagues. In fact after the 1947 season, a poll was taken to see who was the leagues most popular player and Jackie Robinson landed number two right behind Bing Crosby. Robinsons success continued, as he later went on to win a National League MVP, National League Batting Title, two National League Stolen Bases Champion, and would be selected for 6 All-Star games. Although he was a great player statistically speaking, he was an even better showman. Before the pitch was about to be thrown, Jackie would creep towards the next base, slowly taunting, even daring, the pitcher to throw the ball. It was this very same antic that captivated audiences everywhere. Fans would go to the games and they would watch this very same action instead of watching the actual pitch and hit. Soon most of the nation fell in love with Jackie Robinson. ! Although Robinson became one of the greatest baseball players ever, his actions

were more signicant than baseball itself. After tolerating scrutiny and abuse for a couple of years, once Robinson gained popularity and acceptance, he began to voice his controversial thoughts on baseball and its attitude towards race. He criticized the slow pace of baseball integration and objected to the Jim Crow practices in the southern states where most clubs conducted spring training. This opinion began to gain momentum and began to put pressure on the commissioner and team owners to change their ways. This change was just the beginning. When asked about what Jackie Robinsons impact was, Don Newcombe, a baseball hall of fame candidate, recalled a night where he had dinner with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. During their dinner Dr. King said, Don, I dont know what I wouldve done without you guys setting up the minds of

people for change. You, Jackie, and Roy Campanella will never know how easy you made it for me to do my job. As it would later be discovered, Jackie Robinson made quite the impact on our society. ! Jackie Robinsons legacy is one that is cherished and celebrated in many

different walks of life. Dr. King, said that part of his inspiration for the non-violent protests came from Jackie Robinsons rst couple of seasons, where no matter how severe the abuse, he did not retaliate. Jackie Robinson, along with Dr. King, Malcolm X, etc. is remembered as one of the forefathers of the civil rights movement. Although he did not do as much politically speaking as Malcolm X, or Dr. King, his performance on the eld was winning over the support of Americans all across the nation. That being said, Robinson was a political activist. After he retired, Robinson wrote several letters to the White House including letters to Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy, and Johnson. And for his impact he has received several awards and honors. In December 1956, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) recognized Robinson with the Spingarn Medal, which it awards annually for the highest achievement by an African-American. Robinson also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress. In 2007, Robinson was inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In addition to these awards, Robinson received many more honors including being named to; Time Magazines: 100 most inuential people of the 20th century, Sporting News: Baseballs 100 greatest players, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and to the MLBs Baseball All-Century Team. Along with this, both the National and American League Rookie of the Year Awards were renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in 1987. In 1997, Robinsons

jersey number, 42 was retired throughout the MLB, marking the rst time any jersey number had been retired throughout one of the four major American sport leagues. Also, April 15th, has become Jackie Robinson Day, commemorating and honoring the day that Jackie Robinson made his major league debut. ! As you can see, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was no ordinary ball player. Coming

from a very humble childhood, Robinson learned the importance of self-worth from his strong mother. This carried on onto the eld, where Robinson would tolerate what no athlete or celebrity had ever had to tolerate, and it is because of his sacrice today that African-Americans are participating and succeeding in professional sports all across the nation. His antics with the pitchers captivated audiences everywhere, and his silence provided inspiration to one of the greatest civil rights gures of all time. Jackie Robinsons actions echoed further than the game of baseball could contain, and it is safe to say that he has forever changed the landscape of sports and of our culture.

Works Cited ! Teaching With Documents: Beyond the Playing Field- Jackie Robinson, Civil

Rights Advocate. Archives. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/jackierobinson/ . July 30, 2013.

! 2013.

Branch Rickey. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_Rickey . July 30,

Jackie Robinson. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson# .

July 30, 2013. ! ! Origins of Baseball. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball# . July 30, 2013. ! Jackie changed face of sports. ESPN. http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/

features/00016431.html . July 30, 2013.

Jackie Robinson. History. http://www.history.com/topics/jackie-robinson . July

30, 2013. ! ! Its hard to fathom what baseball was like before Jackie Robinson debuted with

the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers. ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story? id=3629427 . July 30, 2013.