Jackie Robinson: The Man Who Changed Baseball

Gage Hines

Modern Arts and Culture

MWF 11:30

Rana McCoy

24 October 2017
 I would cast my own vote any day for Jackie Robinson as the most influential

personality in baseball history. (Robinson, 37).

Jackie Robinson is one of the most recognizable names in sports history and arguably one

of the most recognizable names of the 20th century. Born January 31st 1919 in Cairo, California

Jackies rain in Major League Baseball was relatively short (1947-1956) but no man has left a

larger footprint on the game than Jackie Roosevelt Robinson. Up until he burst onto the scene in

1947 the MLB just like most of the United States was still segregated, and black players played

in what was called the Negro Leagues. The Negro League was a totally different entity than the

MLB, but many people from generation say that the League had more talent than major league

baseball, and it was only a matter of time before the leagues were desegregated and baseball take

the next step toward equality.

Before he began his professional baseball career Jackie was an all sport athlete at Muir

High School in Pasadena California. He excelled in football, track, baseball, and basketball, but

he liked baseball the most. (Schoor, 30). Jackie then attended the University of California Los

Angeles on a full football scholarship. Jackie was an average student, but his academics werent

what everyone was so impressed with. Jackie Robinson was one of the most athletic men at the

school, he was destined for greatness. Robinsons plans after college were put on hold due to

world war two and when he got back he sought out a career in professional football. He realized

that football would be short lived because of how taxing it is on the body and that baseball would

be a much longer career.

Desegregation has been a part of our country from when the first sips landed in the 15th

century. For centuries our countries history was filled with something that we look back on today
and wonder how it could ever have happened. Slavery was a constant economic driver in our

country from the 1500s to the late 19th century with it being abolished after the civil war. Just

because slavery was outlawed didnt mean that people of color were automatically treated the

same as white people. In fact the desegregation of our country continued for over a hundred

years after slavery was abolished. With such this rich history of slavery you could say that it was

a part of our culture back when we were first learning how to be a country, certainly something

we are not proud of, but culture none the less. Jackie Robinson was a big step in changing this

culture when he broke the baseball color barrier in 1947 when he was called up to the

Brooklyn Dodgers.

Being the first man to break a barrier in a major sport isnt easy, especially when that

sport has hundreds of years of culture behind it. Jackie was hit with overwhelming scrutiny from

all angles. Youve got to understand what Im talking about, Jackie. Because for a while youre

going to be a freak side-show attraction, and youre going to hate it.(Schoor, 12). Despite all of

the hate he received Jackie put his nose to the grindstone and began playing ball like he had since

he started playing. It didnt take long for people to start to realize how great of a baseball player

Jackie was, and slowly but surely they started to stop caring about the color of his skin. An issue

that has plagued our country for centuries was beginning to crumble because of the actions of a

man with a ball and a bat.

Burning pride, an indomitable competitive spirit, a sense of responsibility, intelligence-

just plain guts- these are the qualities that made Jackie Robinson perhaps the greatest all-around

athlete of his generation.(Rowan, 339). Not many athletes before him had the physical attributes

that Jackie had, but many after him have been more athletic, and the most recognizeable of them

are men like Roberto Clemente and Bo Jackson, both men of color whose careers may have
never happened if not by the actions of Robinson. We hope that the color barrier in baseball

would have been broken by someone in the future if it werent broken by Jackie, but no man

couldve taken on the responsibility that he took on at that time in our countries history. Jackie

Robinson paved the way for not only men of color to play baseball but rather men and women of

color to play all major sports. Jackie shouldnt just be remembered for the way he played the

game of baseball, he should be remembered for the way he changed the game forever.
 Works Cited

Robinson, Ray and Jennison, Christopher. Greats of the Game. New York. HNA books,

2005. Print.

Rowan, Carl T and Robinson, Jackie. Wait Till Next Year. New York. Random House Inc, 1960.

Print.

Schoor, Gene. Jackie Robinson, Baseball Hero. New York. G. P. Putnams Sons, 1958. Print.