White males were the only race that were playing in the MLB at the time. All of that changed after Jackie Robinson signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Jackie became the first African American to take the field, which ended nearly 60 years of segregation in baseball (Victoria R). Jackie Robinson did not just have a major effect on baseball, but other sports as well. Soon after Jackie's movement, in 1950, Earl Lloyd changed the course of American basketball forever by becoming the first African American player to sign with an NBA team. Later, in 1957, Willie O’Ree broke barriers when he became the first Black player to join the National Hockey League (“A Look Back | Desegregating Sports in America | U-M LSA Center for Social Solutions”). The information from Victoria R introduces people to the fact that Jackie Robinson changed baseball. While the information given from the College of LSA provides understanding to other sports also being impacted by Jackie Robinson. Based on both of these opinions, the conclusion made is that Jackie Robinson has had a bigger impact than people think, which ended up affecting other sports and life …show more content…
The complexities that are attached to the mental side of baseball make the sport one of the most difficult to excel in. The game of baseball is primarily composed of failure. Even the best players bat well under.500 every season. With this, it’s easy for players to become too tied up in their own heads, questioning not only their long-term outlook, but their abilities in each game, practice, and at-bat too (“The Mental Side Of Baseball”). Sports psychologist, Dr. Jeffrey Fishbein, says that there are many things that can happen during the course of a game that have an adverse component. Mental toughness helps a player overcome adversity, which can be a major deciding factor in baseball. Athletes that have exceptional mental skills are accustomed to getting into this state of mind. Like mental toughness, stress can have major consequences on an athlete, training, and performance. There are many techniques that can be used to help reduce stress. These techniques consist of mindfulness, meditation and stress management clinics (“Home / Blog » The Effects of Stress on Your Athletic