Jackie Robinson Integrates Baseball - Coursework Example

Jackie Robinson Brief introduction of Jackie Robinson’s life Jackie Robinson is a legend because he was the first African American Major League Baseball player. He was the youngest of five children and was born near the city of Cairo in Georgia. He grew up in poverty and during his childhood days, he had even joined a gang, but was later persuaded by his friend Carl Anderson to leave the gang, from where on he turned his attention to school and playing sports. Difficulties were nothing knew to this person. After gradating from Washington Junior High School, he went into John Muir High School, where he played on the different sports teams of this school. He could double up as both a shortstop and catcher when playing on his school’s baseball team, take on the role of being a quarterback on the football team, a guard on the basketball team, a member of the tennis team and assume the responsibilities of being a track and field squad all at the same time. It was interesting to note, how easily he switched easily between these sports. These experiences made him to be a multi-faceted personality. In his professional career as an ace baseball player, he was noted to be a disciplined hitter and a versatile fielder. He scored a career batting average of .311 and was know because he made more walks than strikeouts in the games he played. During his career, he played in six All-Star games. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and also a member of the All-Century Team. Hallmark events of his life were seen in the year 1947, when he was awarded the ‘National League Rookie of the Year Award’ and ‘The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award’. In the year 1949, he was bestowed with the National League MVP Award. Jackie Robinson’s short stint in the Army It is not just baseball for which Jackie Robinson is well-known for. He had enlisted in the U.S. Army during the period of the Second World War. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and branched Armor in the U.S army. He was assigned to the U.S.’ 761st Tank Battalion’, which is an all black battalion. When he was undergoing training in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas, he refused to go to the back of a public bus, which he had to do because he was black and this action led him to be court-martialed for insubordination. As a result, he did not fight alongside others in Europe. However, he got honorably discharged from the army in 1944, after he was acquitted of all charges at the court-martial. His accomplishments during his lifetime Jackie Robinson is a person, who made a huge impact on the lives of many people. These include not just people of his generation, but also in the lives of forthcoming generations as well. According to Jackie Robinson, the value of life is that ‘A Life is not important, but for the impact it has on other's lives.’ Jackie Robinson’s entry into baseball opened up the path for many like him to follow through into sports and gave fire to the idea that African-Americans wanted nothing more than to be granted the same rights as any other human being. This change came at a point when integration of blacks was introduced into baseball in 1947 and was a hugely significant event in the civil rights movement and in American history. His ability to make profound changes came from his very nature. He was an aggressive man, who become outraged when confronted with injustice, and instead of holding back as many blacks did during that time he stood up for his rights. When he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had to learn how to stand up for his rights, but not in the way that was natural for him to do so, which is fighting back aggressively. He had to do it in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. At this point in his life, he was subject to a lot of criticism and hatred. This situation was assessed by the Sports Illustrated's magazine as one in which Jackie Robinson was made the ‘target of racial epithets and flying cleats, of hate letters and death threats, of pitchers throwing at his head and legs, and catchers spitting on his shoes.’ When Jackie Robinson was part of the Brooklyn Dodgers team, he learned how to exercise his self-control and use the power of silences as a weapon against insults, violence and injustice. His dedication to the sport enabled him to earn respect from his teammates and eventually, the opposition. His enigmatic personality and greatness of his sport skills is correctly summed by Roger Kahn in his book ‘The Boys of Summer’, where he stated that Jackie Robinson ‘had intimidation skills, and he burned with a dark fire. Winning was his passion and he bore the burden of a pioneer and this weight made him stronger. If one can be certain of anything in baseball, it is that we shall not look upon his like again." Jackie Robinson had to fight with a society which was steeped in racism. In 1945, Happy Chandler1 became the major leagues' new commissioner. He was also a former governor and senator of Kentucky. His famous line that African-Americans could be allowed to play baseball because, "If they can fight and die on Okinawa, Guadalcanal (and) in the South Pacific, they can play ball in America." , reflects the racist attitude and the difficulties that blacksat that time at to face in society. In summer of 1945, Robinson was selected to integrate baseball and this proved to be a decision that would go down in the annals of history. He was selected by Rickey, the President of the Brooklyn team to play for the Dodgers, because he wanted a black player who could deal with the torments and racial that the player would have to face when he was part of the team. The player should be one who practiced restraint at all times and Rickey felt that Jackie Robinson was both a good player and strong person to do this successfully.  He made Robinson promise that he would never show his anger on the baseball field and Jackie kept to his promise, and this action is what is most memorable about his to this day. The following year, Jackie Robinson, played second baseman for the Montreal Royals, (the Dodgers' top farm team) and stole 40 bases and led the team to the Little World Series championship. When he became a hero after a match in Canada, he was chased by swarms of fans for blocks. One black journalist commented on this as "It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with lobe instead of lynching on its mind." In doing such great feats, Jackie Robinson’s, heroism, was firmly planted in the memory of Americans, and brought the American public face-to-face with the issue of racial equality. As Jackie turned 28, he played first base, after enduring enormous hardships to get to this the position. He had to put up with an abortive rebellion from members of his team and still play with them, face the threat of a strike by the St. Louis Cardinals, as well as endure acts such as black cats being thrown on the field because he came to this position. Yet, somehow he managed to keep his temper under control and performed well in the game. Finally, in the year 1949, Robinson was free to become his own man and he spoke his thoughts out to his teammates, the opposition, and the umpires. He brought out the injustice meted out to players such as him and this proved ground-breaking for blacks of that time and for the generations to come. To anyone who thought otherwise about his remarks, he retorted back with the statement that, if a white player had shown the same fire, he would have earned praise. Jackie Robinson spent a decade playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers after which he went to play for the New York Giants in December 1956. He announced his retirement a month later, at the age of 37. Criticisms of Jackie Robinson After retiring from playing baseball, Jackie Robinson became a vice president for Chock Full o' Nuts, and he also ventured into other businesses and politics. He took an active role in the Harlem YMCA and other social and community organizations. He played a prominent role in establishing and nurturing Harlem's African-American owned and controlled ‘Freedom Bank’ during its initial period in the mid 1960s. Yet, he was not a figure free from controversy. He had his disagreements with other popular African American figures. For example, he idealized the black rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and also felt the pain of his suffering, but deep inside him, his natural aggressive temperament, could not agree Martin Luther King's non-violent demonstrations. Though Robinson shared with Martin Luther King his dream of equality between black and whites in America, he had his disagreements with the black rights leader. He aired his disagreements when he put forth his stand against the war in Vietnam, in the issues of his syndicated newspaper column, which appeared in the 1950s and 1960s. Martin Luther King telephoned Jackie and spoke to him about why he opposed the war in Vietnam and try as he may, Martin Luther King could not persuade Jackie Robinson to accept his stance, though Jackie showed that he understood why Martin Luther King, who was a champion of nonviolence in America, could not condone the armed conflict in Asia. Another example of Robinson’s differences with popular African American figures was seen between the views he held and the views of civil rights advocate Malcolm X. Jackie Robinson felt that Malcolm X was a talented man, who put forth a message of promise for African American youth. Jackie Robinson also felt, in a sad way that, that Malcolm X drew his philosophy from hatred, which was not what he believed in. This was much publicized when the two men argued over Malcolm's characterization of Ralph Bunche, who was the then former undersecretary to the United Nations. Malcolm felt that, Ralph Bunche as a man confused and propped up by the white people who had put him in that position, but Robinson defended Bunche's as a man of integrity. In turn Malcolm X criticized successful African Americans who kept themselves away from the struggle for equal rights. This put an end to their coming together, because though Malcolm X's and Robinson's goals were identical; their approaches to the issue of black equality were entirely different. There was a time when Jackie Robinson resigned from the NAACP, stating that he resigned because he could not accept the ideas of younger, more progressive black people. Black militants who resented him labeled him as "Uncle Tom" because they felt that he identified more with a conservative, affluent white society. Such opinions came out despite the fact that Jackie Robinson's was a trail blazer, had given exceptional performance in baseball, and he was highly visibility in community efforts. Over a period of time, Jackie Robinson became ill with diabetes and heart disease weakened him. As he reached middle age, he became almost blind and on October 24, 1972, he died of a heart attack at the age of 53. Conclusion Jackie Robinson’s impact upon society can be stated as one that was profoundly groundbreaking. He was an African–American, who broke the baseballs long standing color barrier in the year 1947. In doing so he made history and change the course of event for new players who came into the same line. He had now thrown open the doors of playing professional baseball to all black Americans. Reflecting on the changes he had initiated he stated that ‘I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it--and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist.’ He played baseball with such skill and passion, that he changed the opinions of countless American baseball fans. He was able to achieve this tremendous feat at a time when racial segregation and prejudices were common place in American society. He showed enormous courage in accepting the daunting task of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the major leagues and this act, sums up his personality. He was a man determined to succeed even though he was confronted with a hostile environment. He was determined to prove to the nation that blacks could play baseball as well as the whites and such inherent talents should be given the chance to be displayed beyond the prejudices of race. The league and its players persecuted Robinson, and they subjected him to a lot of racist hatred and humiliation, but despite these problems he continued to play baseball because of his strong will power, which was really no match for the ignorance of prejudice. It is Jackie Robinson to whom the credit goes for opening the doors to professional black athletes in all arenas of sports activities in the American society. When he was confronted with the situation of African Americans not being put into the position of managers and front office personnel, he decided not to in the 1969 old timers game to protest against such acts of non-recognition of blacks. When he did things like this, his popularity expanded and so did his fan base in professional baseball. The number forty-two, which was Robinson’s number when he played the game, is now retired on every club in major league baseball as a mark of respect to this great individual who unfortunately in those days had to hang his first Brooklyn Dodgers uniform on a hook rather than in a locker. Today, Jackie Robinson is a rediscovered hero, and this popularity does not just lie with members of the African-American community, but also with the American public at large. During the 50th anniversary season of baseball, President Clinton made an appearance and Robinson’s number, 42, was retired throughout the baseball season. This kind of a mark of respect would have been impossible in the 1970s and much of the 80s, when Jackie Robinson stood lone against in his battles against oppression of blacks. References Larry Schwartz. Jackie changed face of sports. Rampersad's Jackie Robinson Offers Most Complete Account Yet of Ballplayer's Life On and Off the Field More About Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball. Jackie Robinson. 60 Years Ago: Jackie Robinson Era Begins for Dodgers. Jackie Robinson Avonie Brown. Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball Read More

He had enlisted in the U.S. Army during the period of the Second World War. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and branched Armor in the U.S army. He was assigned to the U.S.’ 761st Tank Battalion’, which is an all black battalion. When he was undergoing training in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas, he refused to go to the back of a public bus, which he had to do because he was black and this action led him to be court-martialed for insubordination. As a result, he did not fight alongside others in Europe.

However, he got honorably discharged from the army in 1944, after he was acquitted of all charges at the court-martial. His accomplishments during his lifetime Jackie Robinson is a person, who made a huge impact on the lives of many people. These include not just people of his generation, but also in the lives of forthcoming generations as well. According to Jackie Robinson, the value of life is that ‘A Life is not important, but for the impact it has on other's lives.’ Jackie Robinson’s entry into baseball opened up the path for many like him to follow through into sports and gave fire to the idea that African-Americans wanted nothing more than to be granted the same rights as any other human being.

This change came at a point when integration of blacks was introduced into baseball in 1947 and was a hugely significant event in the civil rights movement and in American history. His ability to make profound changes came from his very nature. He was an aggressive man, who become outraged when confronted with injustice, and instead of holding back as many blacks did during that time he stood up for his rights. When he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had to learn how to stand up for his rights, but not in the way that was natural for him to do so, which is fighting back aggressively.

He had to do it in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. At this point in his life, he was subject to a lot of criticism and hatred. This situation was assessed by the Sports Illustrated's magazine as one in which Jackie Robinson was made the ‘target of racial epithets and flying cleats, of hate letters and death threats, of pitchers throwing at his head and legs, and catchers spitting on his shoes.’ When Jackie Robinson was part of the Brooklyn Dodgers team, he learned how to exercise his self-control and use the power of silences as a weapon against insults, violence and injustice.

His dedication to the sport enabled him to earn respect from his teammates and eventually, the opposition. His enigmatic personality and greatness of his sport skills is correctly summed by Roger Kahn in his book ‘The Boys of Summer’, where he stated that Jackie Robinson ‘had intimidation skills, and he burned with a dark fire. Winning was his passion and he bore the burden of a pioneer and this weight made him stronger. If one can be certain of anything in baseball, it is that we shall not look upon his like again.

" Jackie Robinson had to fight with a society which was steeped in racism. In 1945, Happy Chandler1 became the major leagues' new commissioner. He was also a former governor and senator of Kentucky. His famous line that African-Americans could be allowed to play baseball because, "If they can fight and die on Okinawa, Guadalcanal (and) in the South Pacific, they can play ball in America." , reflects the racist attitude and the difficulties that blacksat that time at to face in society.

In summer of 1945, Robinson was selected to integrate baseball and this proved to be a decision that would go down in the annals of history. He was selected by Rickey, the President of the Brooklyn team to play for the Dodgers, because he wanted a black player who could deal with the torments and racial that the player would have to face when he was part of the team. The player should be one who practiced restraint at all times and Rickey felt that Jackie Robinson was both a good player and strong person to do this successfully.

  He made Robinson promise that he would never show his anger on the baseball field and Jackie kept to his promise, and this action is what is most memorable about his to this day.

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