mouseandhat Wednesday (almost): Jackie Robinson
Posted under: I am slowly but surely getting on track with these posts. I had my list midterm today, so perhaps now my schedule will return to normal – whatever that means.
Image courtesy authentichistory.com.
Today’s submission comes from my friend Marc-André Chambers, who has introduced me to some of the bands that I have covered on this blog before. Apart from enjoying good music, however, Marc-André is also an avid sports fan, which is why it came as no surprise that he submitted “Jackie Robinson”.
To be honest, I was a little apprehensive when I picked that one. I do not know much about Jackie Robinson. I thought about all the different angles I could have approached the topic, possibly linking it to my own experiences playing baseball, but I feel that would be unfair to the topic. Instead, I will make a list of all the interesting facts about Jackie Robinson that I learned while researching him, facts that you may already know but may also find interesting!
- Jackie Robinson is most famous for breaking the color line in Major League Baseball when he became the first African-American to join a major league team, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He was not chosen merely because he was a star player, however, and one could argue that he was not the best player in the Negro leagues of the time. Dodgers manager Branch Rickey chose Robinson partly on the basis that he would not react angrily to whatever racist epithets with which he might be abused.
- In 1950, Robinson started in a biographical movie about himself, titled “The Jackie Robinson Story”. The film pre-dates the more prominent years of the Civil Rights Movement that would start about a decade later. Rather, it came out just when the McCarthy era was starting to form, which might explain the patriotic tone of the film’s ending.
- Robinson’s jersey number, 42, was retired for all major league teams in 1997, marking the 50th anniversary of his first major league game. The number was originally retired by the Dodgers in 1972, and his is the only number to have been retired for the entire league. The one day that players can wear 42 – and are encouraged to do so – is April 15, Jackie Robinson Day, the day he made his major league debut.
- Jackie Robinson was the first player to win the MLB Rookie of the Year Award, in 1947. 40 years later, its name was changed to the Jackie Robinson Award.
- Aside from being the first African-American to join a major league team, Robinson was also the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1962. He retired in 1957. Toward the end of his life, he took an active role in politics, taking a conservative stance around the time of the Civil Rights Movement.
Well, there you have it. I hope this post has been an educational experience for everyone. Also, if anyone finds a flaw in any of the information I have compiled, please do not hesitate to point out my error.
Next week’s article will be about:
"Crochet", submitted by Devin (I think?).
I had to get a different hat because I needed the fedora for a dance last weekend. Until next time!
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