Segregation In Baseball

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There were two baseball teams: the blacks and the whites. Back then segregation was still around and most whites did not want to play with African- Americans so they formed their own team. During World War 2, Major Leagues decided to investigate hiring black players. The end of baseball segregation was around the story of Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson. Rickey was one of the most powerful men in baseball, being a general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey also instituted “farm teams” which helped develop the talent of young players so they could hopefully move into the major leagues. Rickey and Robinson wanted to breaks the color barrier that existed in professional baseball and the integration would be good for the game as well as …show more content…
He met Martin Luther King Jr. and admired his peaceful protests (BNE, Am. History 32.1). He discussed how to deal with the people who hated the thought of whites and blacks on one team. After everyone was used to Robinson on an all- white team he decided to use his fame for good. During his popular years, he was constantly asked about politics from reporters and different views. Robinson even testified in front of HUAC about the roles of African Americans in the military (Los Angeles Dodgers 2004). He openly expressed his views and started to actually talk about political issues. Even after he retired from baseball he still was very open to the public and continued supporting the movement. After his baseball career, Robinson wanted to fight discrimination on the field so he worked close with the NAACP to help advance the opportunities blacks have (Witherbee 2007). In addition, he toured the South speaking to the black community groups (King, 7-27). Next, he also inspired young black children to chase their dreams and taught the kids to respect others regardless of skin color (Baseball Noble Exp., Am. History 32.1). He also provided a good example of peaceful integration in a segregated field (Rubenstein 2003). Although he was famous for playing baseball, he also decided to use his fame to talk about issues that he and many others struggled …show more content…
Throughout the integration, he met famous people who had respect towards Robinson. One of the first people he met was Pee Wee Reese. He was a white southerner coming from Louisville, Kentucky and was a captain of the Dodgers during Robinson’s time. During the pregame at the Crosley Field, Reese walked over to Robinson engaging in conversation and threw his arm around Robinson’s shoulder (Glasser, World 18.3). Reese was one of the few supporters of Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball. Although he met some people along his journey, none of them compared to his wife, Rachel Robinson. They met at UCLA and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She married Jackie on February 10, 1946. She had 3 kids and supported her husband though everything. Rachel Robinson and her 3 kids received death threats because of his status as an MLB player (Glasser, World 18.3). These people made Jackie Robinson believe he could make a change with the Major
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