Remembering Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson - Wikimedia Commons

Jackie Robinson’s battle against racism, segregation, and discrimination for his ten-year baseball career had an impact on America as it is today. Not only was he a role model for the colored athletes to come, but his skills and dedication for baseball made him an extraordinary player.

On October 3rd, 1945 Robinson signed a contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers with the help of Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey. This marked a turning point in American history, as Robinson was the first black person to break the racial barriers in baseball set against people of color. When Robinson was going to sign the contract, Rickey wanted a person that was able to take all the hate and racial slurs that were going to be thrown at him during the games. Robinson fit that persona, and knew that in order to set an example for everyone he had to prove that he had the strength to withstand the discriminatory Americans and ball players at the time.

In the beginning of Robinson’s career, he had to face challenges that the rest of his team didn’t have to worry about.In America at that time his skin color did not let him sleep in the same hotels, or even eat at the same restaurants as his teammates. Robinson had to find ways around these problems for multiple years until people became more tolerant and were willing to let people of color use their services. However, all of this did not happen overnight for Robinson, but the extent to which people were segregated in America declined over the span of many years.

Robinson’s battle against baseball’s color barrier paved the road for many people in America. His skills were not the only thing that made him memorable in baseball, but his patience and self control are what showed people that they deserved their rights. Robinson’s impact on America is still relevant today and his influence played a big role not only in baseball, but permanently changed all sports throughout American society.