BASEBALL FOR LIFE
By Mateo
Jackie Robinson was one of the first Major League Baseball players who were black. Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia in 1919. He was the youngest in his family out of five children, but that never stopped him from accomplishing big goals. Jackie made history in 1947 when he signed up to play on the Brooklyn Dodgers. According to historians, “He broke baseball's color barrier” (“Jackie Robinson,” 2009). This barrier was the barrier that separated people of color from people that are white. There had been colored people who were in the MLB but they were segregated from the white teams, but this never stopped him. His reputation in MLB was a big help for the reputation of black people. He won a National League Rookie of the Year award his first season “and helped the Dodgers to the National League championship – the first of his six trips to the World Series.”(“Jackie Robinson,” 2009) In 1949, Jackie Robinson also managed to get the league MVP award, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. This was really important because what he did to make himself look good and win the favor of the crowd helped racist people do not have such a prejudiced opinion of black people. As the biographical documentary “Jackie Robinson” puts it,
Despite his skill, Robinson faced a barrage of insults and threats because of his race. The courage and grace with which Robinson handled the abuses inspired a generation of African Americans to question the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement (“Jackie Robinson,” 2009).
Although on our trip we did not get to spend a lot of time going into the history of baseball while in Atlanta and Birmingham, we were fortunate to be able to experience the excitement of a AAA minor league game and a major league game. It was very interesting to see how integrated the baseball teams were; it is interesting to think that Jackie Robinson was part of the reason why this is possible. It is also interesting and cool to see diversity in the stands and in the stadium because, in Telluride, we do not have as much diversity as some other places. From the baseball games and especially from Jackie Robinson’s story, I learned to never give up on your dreams, no matter how big they are.
Despite his skill, Robinson faced a barrage of insults and threats because of his race. The courage and grace with which Robinson handled the abuses inspired a generation of African Americans to question the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement (“Jackie Robinson,” 2009).
Although on our trip we did not get to spend a lot of time going into the history of baseball while in Atlanta and Birmingham, we were fortunate to be able to experience the excitement of a AAA minor league game and a major league game. It was very interesting to see how integrated the baseball teams were; it is interesting to think that Jackie Robinson was part of the reason why this is possible. It is also interesting and cool to see diversity in the stands and in the stadium because, in Telluride, we do not have as much diversity as some other places. From the baseball games and especially from Jackie Robinson’s story, I learned to never give up on your dreams, no matter how big they are.