The Color Legacy in Major Leage Baseball - 1125 Words

Before 1947, Major League Baseball had never had a black player, although there were Negro Leagues. Jackie Robinson broke that. It takes courage and dedication to chase after something you love. Jackie had that for the game of baseball. The Civil Rights Movement was occurring during the time Jackie enter the Major Leagues, so the times were tough for him. Jackie did more than just play baseball; he introduced a whole new way to play the game, with blacks and whites. He did this by breaking the color barrier and introducing blacks into the Major Leagues, facing discrimination and showing his true passion for the game, and showing that he was looking to help all African-Americans in the civil rights movement. Breaking the color barrier†¦show more content†¦He liked Robinson’s family life off the field and how he dealt with adversity. Rickey’s main fear was the harsh discrimination Jackie would get, so Branch held a historic meeting with Jackie, and said the harsh est things to him to see if Jackie could withstand it, and on October 23, 1945, Robinson signed his first contract. Rickey thought Jackie would be more comfortable playing in Canada for the Dodgers minor league team, the Montreal Royals. Turns out, Rickey was right. Jackie gained tons of fans in Canada, and at the end of the season, Jackie led the minor leagues in batting and runs scored. The Royals also won the minor league pennant that year. In 1947, Jackie Robinson was a Major League Baseball player. The Dodgers had called him up on assignment and Jackie immediately started working. In spring training of his first season, his Brooklyn teammates made a petition to prevent him from playing, but the manager of the team, Leo Durocher, put an end to the petition. On the field, Robinson was an outstanding player. In his first year, he was named the league’s most outstanding rookie. He led the national league in steals with 29. At the end of the season, America made him the secon d most popular celebrity in the nation. Robinson was named the National league Rookie of the Year, and was honored with a â€Å"Jackie Robinson Day† (York). Jackie returned to Georgia in 1949 to play a three game series against the Atlanta Crackers. Many KKK groups