Imagine yourself in the stands of a baseball game on a spring day. The crowd cheers and the smell of popcorn in the air. The year is 1947 In the city of Brooklyn. New York and youre about to see history in the making, For the first time in histoiy a black man takes the plate. By this he is about to break the social status of the black man. But not all are happy about this event. There are some that want things to stay the way it was. Every man is searching for some kind of acceptance in his life. Whether itll be trying to be accepted by his peers or by lust himself. In life many Just want to be accepted, one person who wanted to be an equal With his peers is Jackie Robinson. Some to consider him to be one of the best baseball players of all time and some lust think of him as another Negro thats trying to play a white mans game, Jackie Robinson is the first black man to join the NBL (national baseball league).
He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and not all people are pleased about it. In Time Magazine one man writes. The answer for the Negro is to be found, not in segregation or separation, but by his insistence upon movmg into his rightful place, the same place as that of any other American Within our society. White shows how blacks should be accepted Jackie Robinson took the field for the very first time on April 12. 1947. At that game the fans ands fellow athletes taunted him. Even though he was taunted he still played very well. He married a beautiful, and white woman named Rachel. He became the first black person in the Baseball hall of fame and he retired in 1957. The very first time Jackie Robinson took the plate, he was changing the way of life for all races and inspiring many at the same time.
Joe Bostic, from the New York Amsterdam News, said. The most significant sports story of the century was written into the record books today as baseball took up the cudgel of democracy and an unassuming Negro ascended the heights of excellence to prove the rightness of the experiment. And prove it in the only correct crucible for such an experiment the crucible of white-hot competition. (Bostic) Joe Bostic said that when Robinson went 4 for 5 on his first day with the Montreal Royals, Jackie Robinson proved to the world that he could be a great baseball player. All the whites believed that he could not do it but they were wrong. Robinson changed a man named Mickey Mantles life, Mantle said, After the game, Jackie Robinson came into our clubhouse and shook my hand. He said, You’re helluva ballplayer and youve got a great future. I thought that was a classy gesture, one I wasnt capable of making what meant even more was what Jackie told the press Mantle beat us.
He was the difference between the two teams. I have to admit, I became a Jackie Robinson fan on the spot. And when I think of that World Series, his gesture is what comes to mind. There was a player who had without doubt suffered more abuse and more taunts and more hatred than any player in the history of the game. And he made a special effort to compliment and encourage a young white kid from Oklahoma. (Mantle). When Jackie Robinson said compliment to Mantle. he completely changed his perspective towards Robinson. And even maybe other blacks. Robinson opened up his eyes to see that there is more than iust the color of your skin. Robinson made an impact щn people’s lives and he changed the way a black man was looked at too.
Although some liked Robinson, he was still disliked by many. Despite of Robinsons’ great athleticism on the baseball field many still did not accept him. He knew that it was going to be difficult for others to acknowledge him as a baseball player and a person. One inCident of hatred is, Robinson met fierce resistance from many players and fans who believed in the separation of people on the basis of race Robinson endured maIiCious cat calls and racial slurs shouted from the stands. (Encyclopedia). Obviously the crowd didn’t want to see Robinson on a white team. They wanted him to go back where he belonged. They would shout terrible things to him Just because of the color of his skin and because he was different Also the people that were against him went all the way to do horrible things. such as, he also received unsigned notes threaIing death if he continued to play baseball, Some rival players went beyond verbal abuse in an effort to intimidate Robinson.
They would throw pitches at Robinsons head, spat on him when he slid into base and attempted to injury him with the spikes on their shoes. (Encyclopedia). Many people mostly white were very upset with the fact that Robinson was playing baseball. They would go to the extent of writing death threats and etc. not only did he get discrimination from fans but Irom his Fellow athletes. They say that as an athlete you should have good sportsmanship and respect for your fellow athletes. Some did respect Robinson but many didnt. some were very mad that a Negro man had made it to the major leagues and some were even iealous of him. Even though he was disliked by many he made a difference in history.
In conclusion Jackie Robinson changed the way of life. he was a great man that changed that way blacks were looked in society and the way of the game. After Robinson became a public figure he spoke out about how blacks were treated in society. He opened up the doors for future atheles like himself, He showed the world that greatness can come from different backgrounds. Although many consider him to be a black man playing in a white mans game, he still stood up to the challenges that was thrown at him. Jackie Robinson went down in history as a great baseball player but he was also a great man.
