JACKIE ROBINSON

The star who changed American sport forever

‘I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me . . . all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.’

JACKIE ROBINSON

Jackie Robinson was born in 1919 in Georgia, USA. He was one of five children and, while Robinson was still a baby, his father left the family to fend for themselves. His mother took the children to Pasadena in California and, although they lived in a respectable neighbourhood, the family lived in poverty. The stark difference between the Robinsons’ economic fortunes and those of the families around them left them isolated socially and prevented the children from taking part in activities other youngsters in the neighbourhood enjoyed without a second thought.

Like many children who are forced to live in cruel and difficult circumstances and rejected by their peers, the young Jackie Robinson almost fell under the influence of a local gang. Thankfully, a good friend talked him out of the lifestyle and kept him on the straight and narrow.

Jackie had a natural talent for sport. Indeed, it ran in the family. His brother Mack won a 200 metres silver medal in the 1936 Olympics in Germany, losing only to the great US champion Jesse Owens. Robinson competed in a range of sports at high school and college including tennis, American football, athletics, basketball and baseball.

When his closest brother, Frank, was killed in a road accident, Robinson decided to attend the University of California (Los Angeles). His decision was motivated by the fact the university was close to the family of his deceased brother. It was here where Robinson chose to focus on sport. His efforts paid off and he won varsity letters (this is a system in the US that recognises a student excelling in a certain area) in four sports: baseball, athletics, American football and basketball. No other student at the college had ever managed this. Ironically, his performances in baseball were arguably the least impressive.

It looked at first as if Robinson would settle on American football, but when the Second World War broke out he served in the army and his sporting dreams were put on hold. During his time in the forces he showed his willingness to stand up against injustice. One fateful day, Robinson refused to move to the back of a bus when ordered to do so by the driver on the basis of his colour. At the time it was law that white passengers had priority during travel over non-whites. One of Robinson’s commanders, looking to teach him a lesson, tried to charge him with being drunk, even though he didn’t actually touch alcohol. Eventually, Robinson was rightly cleared of all charges. Sadly, however, it was a sign of the world he had to live in: one in which his skin colour would be used against him time and time again.

Early days of professionalism

After the war, Robinson joined the Kansas City Monarchs baseball team who played in the Negro leagues. These were leagues made up of teams of African Americans and, sometimes, Latin Americans. Such competitions came into existence because of the ‘baseball colour line’. This was an ‘agreement’ from late in the nineteenth century, never formally written down, that no black players would be allowed to play Major League Baseball or in its related Minor Leagues.

Because of the Second World War, it became increasingly hard for owners in baseball to justify the colour line. After all, over a million African Americans had fought alongside their fellow white countrymen in the terrible conflict. Eventually Branch Rickey, general manager and club president of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) began to look for a black player to join his Major League roster. He knew that the first man to cross the colour line would have to deal with horrific abuse and threats from the wider public. For this reason, he was keen to find not just a talented black player, but a man who would be able to deal with the pressure and harassment that would inevitably come his way, without getting in arguments or scuffles with his tormentors.

When Robinson, who was seen as an extraordinary batting prospect, was approached and this was explained to him, he asked Rickey if he was looking for an African American man ‘who is afraid to fight back?’ The manager replied that it was the opposite, he wanted someone ‘with guts enough not to fight back’.

Robinson eventually agreed and joined the Montreal Royals, a feeder team to the Dodgers. When he arrived at training camp in Florida he was not allowed to stay in the team hotel with his white teammates due to local segregation laws. In another part of Florida the police said they would prevent the Royals playing if Robinson was involved or even trained in the area. In Jacksonville, the stadium was kept locked on match day to prevent a game with Robinson taking place.

In the end, Robinson made his debut in an exhibition match against the Dodgers and eventually became a regular for the Royals. He had some notable successes with the bat in his early games and played mainly at second base. At the end of the season, thanks to his .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage, he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. Thrilled crowds flocked to see him play (some to support him, some to abuse him) and by the 1947 season – during which he also played a few games of professional basketball for a racially integrated basketball team known as the Los Angeles Red Devils – he became a Brooklyn Dodger.

In the big leagues

After first appearing for the Dodgers in a preseason game, Robinson made his major league debut on 15 April 1947. He was 28 at the time, which, in baseball, is no spring chicken. Robinson had, of course, lost several years of his career due to the Second World War. His selection for the Dodgers fascinated the public and inspired African Americans throughout the nation. It is estimated 14,000 of the 26,000 fans for his first game were black. The sporting curiosity didn’t disappoint: Robinson walked and scored a run as his team won 5-3.

As Robinson became a fixture in his side, he would help draw big crowds wherever he played. Sadly, for all the praise he got, he also got a lot of hatred, abuse and even death threats. He had to deal not just with the nerves and pressure of being an athlete in the public eye, but with the attention of an entire nation. Many fans, players and officials were hoping he would fail and often their behaviour was designed to provoke him into losing his temper so they could say that he wasn’t the kind of person that should be in baseball. At one point there was discussion among many teams and players about going on strike to try and get officials to have Robinson kicked out of the league. Robinson was often physically fouled by opponents. Once he had his leg sliced open by a player intentionally sliding into him. He was also frequently, and openly, racially abused on the field of play. It is a testament to Robinson’s character that he was able...