Sports, a Unifying Force: The Contribution of Jackie Robinson and Baseball
During the 1940s, in the United States of America, colour segregation between the whites and the nonwhites were common. At the time, “separate but equal” facilities were common. Jim Crow Laws (Jim Crow Laws - Separate Is Not Equal.) were passed to legalize segregation between the whites and nonwhites. The Jim Crow Laws were responsible for restrictive signs that directed the nonwhites of where they could legally walk, rest, eat, and much more. Just like South Africa, as portrayed in the film Invictus, there was segregation in schools, property, and even sports. In the late 19th century America, baseball, along with many other things was segregated. Due to the segregation, there were different baseball leagues and separate teams for nonwhite players. In 1945, Jackie Robinson joined the Negro American league by signing with the Kansas City Monarchs. In the same year, however, Brooklyn Dodgers manager, Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to bring him to the Major Leagues. Rickey called the process, baseball’s “great…show more content… One of the components of the Rule of Law states that the law applies equally to everyone. However, there was segregation and prejudice toward the black which was demonstrated through the Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow Laws distinctly did not coincide with ‘natural rights’. ‘Natural rights’ are rights of life and liberty that were conceptualized by a philosopher, John Locke (Dimensions of law: Canadian and international law in the 21st century). Through Jackie Robinson and through the influence of sports, the discrimination and segregation were slowly crumbled and unified the whites and the nonwhites of
