Jackie Robinson: Institutional Oppression In Baseball

Jackie took on a lot of harassment for being the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues, but he was use to it at this point. He grew up in a very racist city in California called

He didn't let anyone get between him and the game he loved to do. Jackie didn't like the idea of things being between blacks and whites but he also didn't like how white people would treat black people because they would all get threats towards them, arrested for not doing something a white person would do so at sometimes, he thought being separate would be whats best, but he started to believe that everyone deserved human rights and that everyone deserved to be treated the way they would want to be treated. One of his teammates “Pee Wee Reese” decided to put his arm around Jackie before a game in front of a whole crowd, to show them that he respected Jackie and was his friend and that he deserved to be treated right. That gesture Pee Wee Reese did will go down as one of the most legendary gestures in history. Robinson succeeded in ignoring the prejudice and racial slurs aside and showed everyone what a talented baseball player he really was.

On April 15,1949 in California, Jackie Robinson spoke his mind about racial discrimination. OnvOnpiont.legacy.wburg.org ,Tom Ashbrook states, “When race was a wall in the country, he walked through it to play ball. In the face of white rage, he was a black man with the number 42 on his Brooklyn Dodgers uniform who -game by game- knocked deep, bitter racial stereotypes out of the park.” Jackie Robinson act of civil disobedience began when he was up to bat at baseball games and all the fans in the stands and the coaches on the opposing team started yelling racial comments. On Biography.com, the author states, “Even some of his new teammates objected to having an African-American on their team.

Jackie Robinson, The man who fought to play baseball with the greatest, to be known as one of the greatest, to actually be heard and seen by those who thought what he did was of the impossible. Through the eyes of many he was just another African-American. But to those who could see through the colour, could see a gift. Jackie Robinson, born January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia became known as the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the Modern Era and also the first African-American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The public looked at him better now that he was married, had a baby, and he was able to play well with white players. But, Jackie still faced prejudice everywhere. The other teams and many of his teammates showed that they did not want him there. But, instead of letting all of these things getting to him, it made him play better. He was able to bring his team to the best season that they had and the fan crowds in the stands got larger.

Jackie Robinson is known to be one of the most influential people in baseball and in society. He eternally changed the aspect of American history. It was unusual to have a colored person be treated equally as a white person during the time of the 1900s. He was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 and later moved to Pasadena, California to pursue a better life. He came from a poor family of sharecroppers in the South and was the youngest of five.

Not just in sports, but in the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. During Jackie’s prime, “people began to view him as a spokesman for other African-Americans. He was an outspoken activist for African-Americans’ rights. He participated in many protests for fair wages and workers’ rights.” (Santella)

He was a big part in the fight for equal rights. Jackie Robinson took so much abuse on the field because of his race that it gave him mental breakdowns. These breakdowns sometimes took days to recover from but he went through all of that so other people would have better opportunities. But this didn’t just go on for one season, Robinson had to deal with that racism for about two years before he was really accepted as a “respected” baseball player. (Kuhn,web) and (Wilson,web).

Jackie Robinson was upset with the policy of the color barriers and thought that baseball should not have it and when he got his chance he took it. What pushed Jackie Robinson was that he loved to play the game of baseball, and that he wanted to take care of his family, plus he wanted pro baseball to be to all

Jackie Robinson fought to end segregation, and the rights for all people through many different ways. The most recognized and probably the biggest thing he did was transform all sports through being the first African American to play professional baseball. This did not only stop discrimination in baseball but this helped stop discrimination in all sports together. After his impact on baseball he wasn't done there, he join the National Association for the advancement of colored people. He became the chairman for the freedom fund and later raised over a million dollars.

This quote explains his first appearance in the MLB as an African American. Jackie Robinson had his mind set on his goal. He did not give up because he was different. Although he encountered many hardships, he continued to try his hardest and eventually joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. This fits in with what I know because people today are still bashed for their race.

Jackie Robinson not only made impacts on the field that were monumental, but he made impacts off the field that were equally as important. Jackie helped presidents get elected, get kids off the streets and into the most prestigious schools there is, and most importantly he broke the black color barrier in baseball. Jackie Robinson is one of the most influential people to ever live, he did things that people would dream about, he stood up for what he believed. To begin, Jackie’s biggest accomplishment was breaking the black color barrier on baseball, “ Jackie Robinson broke through the color barrier that kept blacks out of the Major League Baseball [MLB].

The Major League was Jackie’s goal and he wasn’t going to stop until he reached his goal. In 1947, Jackie Robinson changed the world at the age of 28. He became the first African American player to ever join the Major Leagues.(History.com) This changed the world for blacks and whites and gave hope for every boy in girl in segregation.

Jackie Robinson challenged white America’s societal perception of African American at the time. “Robinson won Rookie of the Year in 1947. In later seasons, more African-Americans joined other teams in the Major Leagues, as Robinson continued to excel. His success gained him fans from all over the country.” (Mcbirney 14).

Every question for Jackie Robinson from the media, is pointed and it’s point is to destroy Jackie Robinson’s career and everything he is trying to achieve. The fact that he has to worry about this outside of being a baseball player is ludicrous and just goes to show what true character precisely is. A person with true character is a person who will not give up or give in even under the most extreme of situations. A person with true character is a person who will keep calm and keep his emotions in check, even when he has every right to tear into the people who did him wrong. A person with true character is a person who will do all of this, to help out people that he doesn’t even know.