Robinson was the first Black player of the modern era to play in the majors - joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He had previously played in the Negro Leagues and the Minor League.
Robinson's ascension to the Majors was a turning point not just for sport and baseball, but for American culture. Long held norms regarding segregation were not just in the American South, they were at all levels of society and from coast-to-coast. Recognition of Robinson's talent and MLB's backing of him as a player was a controversial and bold move when the easy path was to just keep doing what baseball had done for a few decades.
Instead, MLB stood up for the rights of Robinson, and Robinson took the venom and cruelty of those who wished to see him fail. It's impossible for me to comprehend what he must have gone through.
However, Jackie Robinson was an early hero of this white kid from Texas. Thanks to the power of Value Tales - a series of books we got in the mail that told the story of extraordinary people and a value they exemplified.
It was probably 1980 when I read this book, we were only eight years out from Robinson's death at age 53 in 1972.
Not only did Robinson break those barriers, he was a damn good player and won the World Series in 1955.
I love that no matter the political tenor of the country, ownership of teams, etc... every year the MLB stops to remember Jackie Robinson, and how he changed the game for the better for all of us. Not bad for the child of Georgia sharecroppers.
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