SPORTS NEWS
April 13, 2007
Baseball Salutes Jackie Robinson
Sunday is the 60th anniversary of his first Major League game
When Jackie Robinson walked onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 1947, he forever changed baseball. As the first African American to play in the Major League in the modern era, many believe he forever changed the country.
 |  JACK HARRIS—AP Robinson steals home plate at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field in 1948 |
Sixty years later, Robinson is being remembered across the U.S. He will be honored at each of the 15 ballparks where games will be played on Sunday, with a special ceremony at Dodgers Stadium. Players from dozens of teams will be wearing his number, No. 42, which was retired in 1997 on the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s debut.
The Life of the LegendRobinson was born in 1919. He lived in a time where rules controlled what African Americans could do. He was a top athlete, starring in football, basketball, baseball and track. But playing for a major league team was off limits to Robinson because of his race.
Branch Rickey, president and manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed Robinson in 1947. He believed that Robinson not only had the skills, but the courage to face the challenge of becoming modern baseball’s first black player.
It wasn’t easy. Robinson sometimes faced boos and jeers from fans. But he became a star, anyway. In 1962, he became the first African-American player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress can give to a civilian.
By breaking baseball’s color barrier, Robinson opened the door for many to follow in his footsteps—not only in baseball but in other areas of life as well. After he retired from the game, Robinson worked as an executive for a coffee company. He wrote a newspaper column. He also helped start a bank.
Robinson played in the majors for almost 10 years. On Sunday, he will be remembered for his courage and accomplishments—on and off the field. He once said, “Do what you believe is the right thing—no matter how hard it may be.” Those words ring as true today as they did 60 years ago.
