Major league baseball's 1997 season opened with some shining moments last Tuesday. Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. belted two home runs in his first two at bats. Chicago's Albert Belle smashed a two-run homer. Cincinnati's Deion Sanders stole two bases and scored two runs. Now imagine opening day without those great players. Tough, isn't it? But 50 years ago, African Americans were not allowed to play in the major leagues.
On April 15, 1947, Jack Roosevelt Robinson broke the color barrier. Wearing number 42, he stepped up to the plate for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in New York City. Robinson did not get a hit that day, but through his courage, he forever changed the way Americans viewed baseball--and one another.
Jackie Robinson went on to bat .297 and was named National League Rookie of the Year. For 10 years, he played outstanding baseball. His lifetime batting average: .311. On the bases, Robinson was dazzling: he stole 197 bases in his career. "Daring," he said, "that's half my game." In 1962 he became the first African-American player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
What makes Robinson's achievements more remarkable is that he performed so gracefully under so much pressure. Robinson received hate mail and even death threats. Spiteful pitchers aimed at his head, and base runners tried to spike him with their shoes.
At the time, America was a land of cruel racial divisions. In parts of the country, blacks and whites drank at separate water fountains and went to separate schools. Some hotels and restaurants refused to serve blacks.
In 1946, 15 of the 16 major league team owners voted against integration. Only Branch Rickey, the president of the Dodgers, believed blacks should play alongside whites.
A Player With Guts
Rickey signed Robinson to play for the Montreal Royals, a Dodger minor league team, in 1945. Robinson was then playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. The Negro Leagues had many great players, but Rickey was struck by Robinson's courage and strength of character. This was the man he wanted to break the color barrier.
Robinson had been a football star at the University of California, Los Angeles. He had served as an officer in the Army, where he battled injustice. When Robinson refused to take a seat in the back of an Army bus, he was accused of disobedience. He was brought before a military court and found innocent.
Rickey made Robinson promise that for his first two years in the majors he would not respond in anger when insulted. "Mr. Rickey, do you want a ballplayer who's afraid to fight back?" Robinson asked. "I want a player with guts," said Rickey, "the guts not to fight back."
Honoring Robinson
It was a tough promise to keep. Fans threw garbage at Robinson. Opposing players hurled insults at him. One time in Cincinnati, Ohio, the abuse got so bad that shortstop Pee Wee Reese called time out. He walked over to where Robinson was playing and put his arm around his teammate's shoulders. Years later, a sportswriter called Reese's display of friendship "baseball's finest moment."
After Robinson retired from baseball in 1957, he became an executive for a large coffee company. He continued to speak out against prejudice and work for civil rights. He was a friend of Martin Luther King Jr.'s and Jesse Jackson's. When King gave his stirring "I Have a Dream" speech, Robinson was there.
In 1972 Robinson suffered a heart attack and died. He was only 53 years old. At Robinson's funeral, Jackson said, "When Jackie took the field in 1947, (he) reminded us of our birthright to be free."
This year's baseball season will be dedicated to Robinson. Players and umpires will wear special patches bearing his name. President Bill Clinton will take part in a ceremony honoring Robinson when the Los Angeles Dodgers play the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in New York City on April 15.
Mets third baseman Butch Huskey wears number 42 in Robinson's honor. So does Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn, who has worn the number for six years.
White Sox outfielder Albert Belle believes all players should be grateful for Robinson's tremendous courage battling bigotry. "I probably couldn't have dealt with it," said Belle. "It takes a big man to be the first in anything."
The Negro Leagues
Because of discrimination, African Americans were forced to form their own teams and organize the Negro Leagues. The players were great showmen and athletes. Here, the Black Yankees get ready to take the field in 1942.