Up until 1947, the MLB was an all white league, that all changed when the Brooklyn Dodgers did the unthinkable, signing an African American player. African Americans had been opressed in our country for hundreds of years not only in society, but in sport as well. Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, with the help of Branch Rickey is the reason baseball began to turn a corner, by beginning African American ballplayers. Robinson was the first player to break the color barrier when he debuted at second base for the Dodgers on April 14, 1947. Robinson was the perfect player to be the first to break the barrier, because of his unbelievable ability to "turn the cheek." Rickey and the Dodgers told Robinson that it would not be an easy task and that there would be many hardships to endure. Robinson was up to the task and stuck it out with great courageousness and professionalism, and eventually became a fan favorite. Robinson became beloved for his hard play on the field, which earned him the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, and a World Series Championship in 1955.
Major League Baseball just celebrated their 65th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson Day on Sunday(4/15). ESPN wrote this article, explaining how far the MLB has come in the years since Robinson broke the color barrier.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7817037/mlb-honors-jackie-robinson-ballpark-tributes
The article explains how the MLB holds a celebration at every ballpark in honor of Jackie. There are ceremonies before the games, that involve Jackie's family, friends, and former teammates. Every player and coach in the game now wears Jackie's retired number 42 jersey, to commemorate him and his incredible accomplishments. Before the Yankees game at Yankee Stadium, there was a ceremony where Jackie's wife and daughter were able to partake in on the field with the current teams. Many players in the league also remembered Jackie in their own way, by showing support by putting his name and number on their equipment. The article also says that the number of African American players in the MLB has declined to 8.1% this season. The MLB has many programs trying to get kids from the inner cities to get interested in baseball again.
We spoke about race and ethnicity in sports in clas on 4/10 and 4/12, and actually spoke in depth about Jackie Robinson and him breaking the color barrier. We also spoke about the fact that African Americans faced a segregated sports system prior to the 1950's. Another fact we covered, was that African American men and women are under represented in most sports. In Coakley's text, on page 293 he discusses sport participation among African Americans. This is very important because, without Jackie Robinson participation in sports for African Americans would not be possible. This is also spoken about in the article with the fact that there is a need to get kids ready to play at a young age, as there is a decline in African Americans in the MLB this season.
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