Jackie Robinson's Role In Major League Baseball

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The number 42 was Jackie Robinson’s jersey for the Dodgers which is now retired. Jackie Robinson was a great athlete. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play major league baseball during his time in major league baseball completely changing the way people looked at the game.
Jackie Robinson was born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. He was born into a family of five kids, he was raised in a relative poverty by his mom who was single. Matthew Robinson, his brother, inspired Jackie to keep going for his talent and love for athletics (“Jackie Robinson Biography”).
Jackie went to school at John Muir High School in California, also he went to college at Pasadena Junior College. He proceeded to learn at the University of California where he was the first student of his university to get varsity letters in four sports. Those four sports were football, basketball, track, and baseball. In his region he was named MVP (most valuable player) in baseball the year of 1938. Though he was close to graduating he was kicked out of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) because of money problems (“Jackie Robinson Biography”). After Jackie was kicked out of UCLA he packed up his bags and went to Honolulu, Hawaii. He played football with the semi-professional Honolulu Bears, his season was cut short when he was placed in the war of World War II. When he was sent to war he was named second lieutenant of the United States Army from 1942 to 1944. While he was traveling to the site he was arrested for not giving up his seat even after the bus driver told him to get out he did not and this was a segregated bus. He was honorable discharged for his action in 1944 (“Jackie Robinson Biography”). After he was honorable discharged he started playing major league baseball during this time; sports were separated. Jackie started in the black leagues, after he was picked by Branch Rickey, the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers. When he was picked by Branch Rickey he was put on with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers farm team. Though the racial abuse that he was getting he had an incredible start with the Royals (“Jackie Robinson Biography”). Jackie was the first African American player to be sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
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From the start of his career Jackie was tested. Rickey talked to Robinson that it wasn’t goanna be easy so he asked him not to fight back when racism occurred. Jackie was faced with many insults including virulent racism, beanballs, hate mail, and death threats (“Jackie Robinson”). Even some of his teammates did not like the thought of having an African American on the team (“Robinson Biography”). It open the doors for other African American players such as Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron. Jackie was soon the hero of sports they made a song called “Did you see Jackie Robinson Hit that ball?”
During his career he made improvements to the cause for civil rights for African Americans. He won the World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. Jackie retired with a career hitting average of .311. Robinson stole nineteen bases during his career, and making league record. He became the Champion vocal for African American athletics (“Jackie Robinson

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