Today marks the 12th anniversary of Major League Baseball commemorating Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, and becoming the first African American called up to the big leagues. All players, coaches and managers on both teams wearing #42, as a way of paying homage to the Hall of Famer, observe Jackie Robinson Day.
But, how much about Jack Roosevelt Robinson do we actually know? How many times have you actually taken a look at his statistics and accolades? Look it up, Jackie Robinson had a heck of a run for the 10 seasons that he took the field as a professional. On top of leading the league in stolen bases during his inaugural season, he was awarded the MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, which was the first year of the award. Two years later, he once gain led the National League in stolen bases, in addition to winning a batting title. For that, he was the National League Most Valuable Player, of course the first black player honored. Robinson also played in six World Series, winning one in 1955 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. During a time when it was thought that athletes of color would not be able to adapt to the professional game, Robinson not only adapted, he flourished.
Sports aside, he and wife Rachel were very much into the Civil Rights movement. Robinson stood for his moral principles, no matter what anyone thought about it. He participated in several marches, and even was in attendance for the March on Washington in 1963, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
While Robinson was a great ballplayer, I totally understand why his contribution to the game overall overshadows what he did on the field. It takes a lot of courage to challenge segregation that was entrenched into the fabric of what was dubbed as America’s pastime. It probably crossed his mind a million times to pack it up and go home but if he would’ve took that route, how much longer would the would have to wait to get another black player, or even a Latino player for that matter.
I commend MLB for recognizing the day that Jackie Robinson was called up to the majors as a baseball holiday, but more than that, we should thank Mr. Robinson for his courage. Because without it, who knows where baseball should be if it would have never integrated?