Jackie Robinson: A True Hero

The legacy of Jackie Robinson goes beyond the April 15, 1947 afternoon at Ebbets Field, when the Brooklyn Dodger infielder became the first black in the 20th century to play baseball in the major leagues. He changed the sport, and he changed the attitude of a lot of people in this country, Jackie Robinson fought for all the people that were fortunate, a lot of them are, especially the minority guys, to be able to play in the major leagues and the impact on the people of color today.

Jackie Robinson is known for his will and determination, in a game where African Americans were not allowed to play. Major league baseball (MLB), was the biggest professional baseball league in the country but was racially segregated. Growing up in poverty, Jackie Robinson faced many struggles. Jackie was a great athlete that could play multiple sports, just not major league baseball. He competed and excelled at numerous sports, including basketball and football. As good as an athlete he was, Jackie Robinson obtained a college degree and attended UCLA. He played baseball in the all black, Negro leagues, until he broke the MLB’s color barrier in 1947. Though Jackie was mostly known for his athletic abilities, he did his part as a civil rights

Brave, courageous, daring, bold, these all describe the baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Jackie was the first African American major league baseball player. (Jackie Robinson official website) Things were not always easy but he had many supporters and motivators to keep him going.( Britannica encyclopedia) Since Jackie never gave up through all of the harsh comments and criticism as he carried on being the first African American baseball player, African Americans are now allowed to play in the major leagues and all around the world.

On April 15,1947 Jackie Roosevelt Robinson broke the color barrier. When he stepped out on to Ebbets Field everyone didn't think he could last long. Jackie was born in Cairo Georgia on January 31,1919, he was the youngest out of five children. He attended John Muir High School. He continued his education at the University Of California, where he became the university’s first student to win four varsity letters in all different sports. In 1941, he was forced to leave UCLA because of financial hardship. Jackie played baseball, football, basketball and was on the track team. From 1942 to 1944, Jackie served as a

He then left for a job as an athletic director for the National Youth Foundation. He then played minor league baseball for the Montreal Royals in 1946. While he was playing minor league he was called up to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the major leagues in 1947. It was that year that he won rookie of the year with his 175 hits, 12 home runs, and 48 RBI’s. He also appeared on the cover of time magazine in September of 1947.

Jackie Robinson's entry into the Major Leagues was far from a walk in the park. He climbed over countless obstacles just to play with white men, some of which, he was better then. He not only had to compete with the returning players from the war, but he also contended with racism. "Many towns in the South did not want racially mixed teams"(Weidhorn 53). As time went on, cities realized that Robinson offered them free publicity.

Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was a man of exceptional intelligence and ability. The baseball world knew Rickey as “the Mahatma” for his wisdom, creating the farm system, and his successes with the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey, a devout Methodist, knew that Jackie was a phenomenal baseball player, but was more interested in knowing if Jackie could cope with the physical, verbal, and psychological abuse that was bound to come. In 1947, Rickey broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson. Jackie went on to be the first African American to play in the major leagues and the rest is

In 1946 he had his first game against the Royals. Breaking the color barrier (1947) The following year, six days before the start of the 1947 season, the Dodgers called Robinson up to the major leagues. Within his first two years he showed great courage without fighting back, also in his first year he became Rookie of the Year. In the year of 1949 he became MVP. In 1957 he retired from baseball, and in 1962 he got into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1997 he integrated baseball, and his number, 42, was retired.

At one point there were over 30 different teams in the negro leagues for baseball. Than in 1947 Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers to make him the first black player in the major leagues. Many people beloved that he should not be allowed to play and didn't want him on the team He attended spring training and played his first game on April 15, 1947 at Ebbets

Jackie Robinson Born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia became the first black athlete to play major league baseball in the 20th century. Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, and distinguished himself as a civil rights activist and talented baseball player. Jackie Robinson died in Connecticut 1972. Robinson who was the youngest of 5 children was raised by a single mother. He attended John Muir High school and Pasadena Junior college where he played four sports such as Football, Baseball, Track, and Basketball. He was named the region’s Most Valuable Player in baseball in 1938. Jackie’s older brother, Matthew Robinson is what inspired him to go forward with his talent and love for sports.

To me, a hero is someone you can look up to; someone whom you can admire for their qualities and the obstacles they have overcome. “Fifty years ago, Jackie Roosevelt Robinson became the first black player to play in a Major League baseball game. Jackie was a fearless person and fought until the end and made a big history.”"Jackie Robinson: The Story of an American Hero." HubPages. HubPages, 14 Sept. 2014. Web. 9 May 2016. Everyone respects him a lot and he was a brave man to keep on playing baseball. Though people think Jackie Robinson is not a hero, but others do because he did lots of amazing things that led other black people to play any sport they wanted.

He continued to show people what a talented player he was and never gave up. “He hit 12 home runs and helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant. That year, Robinson led the National League in stolen bases and was selected as Rookie of the Year.” ( http://www.biography.com) He also had an outstanding batting average of .342 .

Jackie Robinson is very important to sports industry. Especially the Major League Baseball Association. He was discriminated for the color of his skin, the way he talked, what he wore. He was a role model to many African Americans at this time, and even present day. Everybody in sports look up to him, because if it were not for Jackie, they would not be there. What he did took a lot of courage to do.

My presence there was controversial with Florida being a racially charged state at the time. I was not allowed to stay with my teammates in hotels and faced several other challenges along the way. I made my Royals debut at Daytona Beach’s City Island Ballpark on March 17th, 1946. I was later then names the league's MVP on the season. In the fall of 19446 following the baseball season I returned home to california. The following year, six days before the start of the 1947 season, the Dodgers had called me up to the major leagues. On April 15th, 1947 I made my first major league debut at the age of 28 in front of 26.623 spectators which included more than 14,000 black patrons. I was the first player since 188- to openly break the major league baseball color line. Being on this team wasn’t easy. I faced challenges everyday for my race and it would have been a lot easier just to quit baseball to end all of the continuous respect even coming from my own teammates. But I had to follow my dream and do this for everyone else.

Jackie Robinson was born in 1919 in Haro Georgia. He had 5 older siblings, which he followed his other brother, Mack, in athletics. He ended up competing in the 1936 Olympics where he was congratulated by Adolf Hitler. He was a star athlete, he could have done anything, and nothing would stop him. He also was the first DCLA student to win a ton of sports. WHen he was still in the army, he refused to sit in the back of the bus and got arrested. In 1945, he joined the Kansas City Monarchs. He was sent an invitation from Branch Rickey to join the Brooklyn Dodgers. Many other things happened too! Like be him selected as Rookie of the Year, the first man to steal bases in 26 years, and helped the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in 1955.