Roberto Clemente Research Paper

Professional athletes are idolized and looked at as heroes for their outstanding play. Athletes have the power to inspire young people. An athlete who sets good examples leads his followers to do the same. Roberto Clemente is a perfect example of a leader and role model. In his short life, Roberto Clemente worked tirelessly to be one of the greatest Major League Baseball players, serve as a pioneer to baseball for Latin Americans, and selflessly volunteer in his homeland. Even with an unlikely beginning Roberto Clemente is remembered as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Roberto Clemente was born the youngest of a large family in Carolina, Puerto Rico. As written by Rick Laezman, the author of 100 Hispanic Americans who changed …show more content…
At only 19 years of age Clemente signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The contract included a ten thousand dollar bonus. Baseball had a rule that to receive the bonus a player must play in the Majors that year or become eligible to be drafted by another team at the end of the year (Laezman). The Dodgers placed Clemente on their Montreal farm team hoping that he would not be noticed by other teams (Laezman). A scout from the Pittsburgh Pirates discovered Clemente’s talent while he was playing in Montreal (Laezman). Unfortunately for the Dodgers Clemente was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of the season and would spend the entirety of his career with Pittsburgh (Laezman). According to an article on the Baseball Hall of Fame website, Clemente fought injuries in his first half-decade of play. In 1960 Clemente flourished and became known as one of the best in the game (“Roberto Clemente”). Clemente had the most runs batted in of Pirate players in 1960, along with a .312 batting average (“Roberto Clemente”). Clemente helped the Pirates win the 1960 World Series, batting .310 in a thrilling seven game defeat of the Yankees (“Roberto Clemente”). In the next seven …show more content…
Clemente grew up in an under-privileged rural part of Puerto Rico which was an underdeveloped nation as a whole at the time (Ruiz). Because Clemente grew up in Puerto Rico and saw the need for improvement in his community, he vowed to aid his homeland after he arrived in the Major Leagues (Ruiz). Clemente’s generosity set him apart from other players and earned him the utmost respect in his homeland and in America (Ruiz). One of the prime examples of Clemente’s compassion for others unfortunately ended in his death (“Roberto Clemente”). On December 31, 1972, just days after a devastating earthquake in Nicaragua, Clemente boarded a plane going to Nicaragua. Clemente was discouraged that not enough supplies were being delivered. He had hoped that his presence would lead to more relief for the country (“Roberto Clemente”). Clemente’s overweight plane crashed shortly after taking off, only about a mile off of the Puerto Rican coast. (“Roberto Clemente”). According to Zach Jones in the article “Roberto Clemente’s Gifts from the Heart,” Clemente’s dream came true years after his death when the Roberto Clemente Sports Center was opened in Puerto Rico. Over 100,000 children visit the sports complex every year (Jones). Additionally, the Pittsburgh Pirates hold a “Day of Giving” in his honor each year. The Pirates collect food, clothing, and money for charity. The Pirates also each complete at least ten hours