Baseball
When Major League Baseball was first formed, blacks were allowed to play alongside whites but, at the beginning of 1889, a color barrier was formed and there were no longer any blacks in the Major Leagues. It was like this in every other professional sport, too. Blacks had a separate baseball league known as the Negro Leagues. The Negro Leagues were the only place blacks could continue playing baseball after college.
Jackie was in need of a job so, when a soldier told him that the Negro League team called the Kansas City Monarchs was looking for players, he joined the team. Jackie made the team and was excited because he got to play the game he loved and earn money at the same time. He only played with the team for one season in 1945. Then in the August of 1945, the Brooklyn Dodgers' president, Branch Rickey, asked Jackie if he would like to play for the Dodgers. Jackie accepted this request, but all to quickly everyone was not on their side. When Branch Rickey sent a statement to the press saying that Jackie Robinson would be playing for the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers top farm team, there was an immediate uproar from angry fans and they were almost all negative.
When Jackie finally moved up to the Major League, he received lots of hate mail from not only fans and opposing team's players, but also from teammates. Some teammates said they would quit if they had to play alongside blacks. He even received death threats and was taunted by players and crowds. Some pitchers would hit him when he was up to bat on purpose. However, he dealt with all of these things and kept playing until he became one of the best players in baseball. His success paved the way for other blacks and minorities.
He was 28 in his rookie year, which is older than most players in their rookie season. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947. He ended his 10-year career with a .311 lifetime batting average and played in six World Series. In 1949, he won the National League Most Valuable Player, leading the league with a .342 batting average and 37 stolen bases. Jackie was known for his remarkable speed and ended his career with 197 stolen bases.
Jackie was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. His number, 42, was retired all throughout baseball in 1997 and only one Major League player still wears the number 42. Jackie's courage and patience made him one of the best players baseball has ever seen.
Jackie was in need of a job so, when a soldier told him that the Negro League team called the Kansas City Monarchs was looking for players, he joined the team. Jackie made the team and was excited because he got to play the game he loved and earn money at the same time. He only played with the team for one season in 1945. Then in the August of 1945, the Brooklyn Dodgers' president, Branch Rickey, asked Jackie if he would like to play for the Dodgers. Jackie accepted this request, but all to quickly everyone was not on their side. When Branch Rickey sent a statement to the press saying that Jackie Robinson would be playing for the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers top farm team, there was an immediate uproar from angry fans and they were almost all negative.
When Jackie finally moved up to the Major League, he received lots of hate mail from not only fans and opposing team's players, but also from teammates. Some teammates said they would quit if they had to play alongside blacks. He even received death threats and was taunted by players and crowds. Some pitchers would hit him when he was up to bat on purpose. However, he dealt with all of these things and kept playing until he became one of the best players in baseball. His success paved the way for other blacks and minorities.
He was 28 in his rookie year, which is older than most players in their rookie season. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947. He ended his 10-year career with a .311 lifetime batting average and played in six World Series. In 1949, he won the National League Most Valuable Player, leading the league with a .342 batting average and 37 stolen bases. Jackie was known for his remarkable speed and ended his career with 197 stolen bases.
Jackie was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. His number, 42, was retired all throughout baseball in 1997 and only one Major League player still wears the number 42. Jackie's courage and patience made him one of the best players baseball has ever seen.