Major Leagues

     At UCLA Jackie seemed to have a natural preference for sports. He was well known for his prowess in football, baseball, basketball and the track events. He went on to become an officer in World War II. Jackie Robinson was a born athlete and he soon was at the crossroads of which sport to take up as a career. The decision he took at this stage made him the first black Major Leaguer in sixty years. Jackie Robinson went on to become one of the best baseball players of all time.

     In 1945, Jackie Robinson impressed Branch Rickey, the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. Inducting Robinson into the team meant a considerable amount of risk for Rickey because no one had heard of a black baseball player. It was something that was inconceivable for most people. Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the many conditions that he had to agree to was that he would not be allowed to argue because he was black.

     The news that a Blackman was playing Major League baseball spread like wildfire throughout the nation. All over the country, blacks were united in their support for Robinson. Special masses were held on match days where the preachers would pray for Jackie Robinson.

     Apart from being black another factor that went against Jackie Robinson was that he was 27 years old. It was unusual for someone to make his major league debut at this age. He was famous for not backing down when faced with the most difficult of circumstances. As a lieutenant in the Army he risked a court-martial by refusing to sit in the back of a military bus.

     In his first season with the Dodgers, the players made life difficult for Jackie Robinson. A group of Dodger players, led by Dixie Walker, suggested they would strike rather than play alongside Robinson. But the team management told them that Jackie would play and that Dixie and his mates could leave if they wished. Robinson found solace in the company of Pittsburgh Pirate - Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star who had experienced anti-Semitic abuse. Jackie Robinson formed a very effective combination with shortstop Pee Wee Reese. Jackie Robinson was named Rookie of the year in 1947. Read the rest of this entry »