Jackie Robinson, a man to remember

Jackie Robinson signs autographs / Boston Public Library - Flickr.com

You can’t go long into baseball history without stumbling upon Jackie Robinson. It seems like he is everywhere. What makes him special? Robinson opened the doors for further acceptance of minorities in the United States of America. Upon being signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers to play for the Montreal Royals, Robinson was faced with the task of tearing down the color barrier.

In order to end segregation in Major League Baseball, Robinson had to perform with greater expectations. Robinson’s numbers on the box score were carefully watched and he was forced to put up with any racism he faced. These injustices ranged from not being able to eat with his team, to opponents being extra rough when playing against him. In a way, Robinson’s fights were best fought with patience.

His rookie year demonstrated that Robinson played better than most of the other ball players in MLB. Fans couldn’t even point to Robinson’s personality as reason to hate him because Robinson didn’t fight back. Slowly, people began realizing that their hatred of Robinson was only for the color of his skin rather than his ability on the field. Once the talent and traits of Robinson became apparent, people realized that the outside appearance of a man has no impact on what kind of human he is.

Robinson’s inclusion and success in MLB lead to further acceptance of other minorities into the world of sports. This occurred through the bondage people share when playing sports with one another. Much of the better jobs in society were not given to minorities, but like many movements throughout history, it took small events or actions to start a snowball effect. Fast forward to the present and there now is a black president running the United States of America. This huge feat could not have happened without Robinson showing the nation that a man should not be judged by outside appearance, but rather the inner qualities that make up who he really is.