Jackie Robinson: The Best Baseball Player

Jackie Robinson was one of the best baseball players of his time, and he helped promote the integration of blacks into professional leagues of all sports. Many people know Jackie because of his skills on the field, but few know about his hardships and his impact on ending segregation. Robinson was an athlete since he was in high school, and he excelled at football, basketball, baseball, and track. He later became the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. Along with his impressive stats, he also set an example for civil rights activists and influenced many other sports to integrate blacks and whites. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919. He had 4 older brothers and an older sister. His parents, …show more content…
He needed the right person to do it, and Jackie Robinson fit his criteria. Rickey was looking for a player that was: good at baseball, educated, sober, and comfortable with whites (Swaine). Rickey chose Robinson to play for the Montreal Royals. The Royals was an all-white minor league team that was the main farm team for the Dodgers. Robinson played for the Royals for one season, and led the league with a batting average of .349 and a .985 fielding percentage. Rickey promoted Robinson to the Dodgers in 1947, and Jackie became the first African American to play in the major leagues. Rickey warned him about the obstacles he would have to overcome. He would have to deal with abuse, purposeful wild pitches, and physical attacks. Rickey also said that, no matter what happened, Robinson would have to stay calm and never lose his temper ("The Lincoln Library of Sports Champions" 38-44). As soon as he joined the Dodgers, he immediately received negative responses. Some people were upset that he joined the team, even some of his teammates. During games, crowds would boo when he was on the field and his family received threats. Jackie had to hold his tongue and play the game. The Philadelphia Phillies were especially cruel towards Robinson. Their manager, Ben Chapman, and the rest of the team shouted derogatory terms at him when he was up to bat ("Jackie Robinson Biography"). Despite all of the negativity he received, he ended up being one of the best players of his era. Robinson was built like a football player; he was 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed around 190 pounds. Robinson was a good player in all aspects of the game. He was an extremely talented baserunner because he threatened to steal on every pitch. He also took long leads and put pressure on the pitcher. Whenever he got into a rundown, he found a way to get out of it. Jackie was also a great batter, and had