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Jackie
Robinson On Being Subjected To Racial Taunts
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April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson donned a Brooklyn
Dodgers uniform and became the first African American
to play major league baseball in the 20th century.
The man who broke baseball's color barrier was born
to a sharecropping family in Cairo, Georgia, in
1919. Robinson was brought up in Pasadena, California,
and attended the University of California at Los
Angeles, where he proved to be an exceptional athlete,
earning varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball,
and track. In 1941, he joined the U.S. Army and
was once arrested by military police for refusing
to move to the back of a bus on account of his race.
In 1945, he received a medical discharge and began
his professional baseball career with the Kansas
City Monarchs of the Negro National League. That
year, he was signed by Branch Rickey, president
of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to play on the Montreal
Royals, a minor league affiliate of the Dodgers.
In 1946, he led the International League in batting
average, and in 1947 he was brought up to play for
Brooklyn. As the first African American player in
the major leagues since they were segregated in
the late 19th century, Robinson was subjected to
constant racial harassment from fans and players
alike. He endured the taunts and death threats stoically,
however, and his flawless fielding at first base,
timely hitting, and 29 stolen bases helped the Dodgers
capture the National League pennant and won him
the title Rookie of the Year. Two years later, in
1949, he won the batting championship with a .342
average and was voted the league's Most Valuable
Player. Robinson retired in 1956 with a career batting
average of .311. His success paved the way for other
African American players in the major leagues, and
by 1959 all 16 clubs had at least one African American
player. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1962 and died in 1972. |
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