Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was an American baseball player who became the first Black athlete to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956. Before Robinson, Black players were not allowed in the major leagues. His career helped change baseball and pushed America one step closer to the end of segregation.

Robinson was born in Georgia in 1919 and grew up in Pasadena, California. He was a star athlete from a young age. At UCLA, he became the first student to win letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track. He served in the Army during World War II. In 1944, he was put on trial by the military for refusing to move to the back of an Army bus. He was found not guilty.

After the war, Robinson played in the Negro Leagues. These were professional baseball leagues for Black players, who were banned from the major leagues by an unwritten rule. In 1945, the Brooklyn Dodgers' team president, Branch Rickey, decided to break that rule. He chose Robinson, both for his skill and for his strength of character. Rickey told Robinson he would face cruel treatment, and he asked Robinson to promise not to fight back during his first two seasons.

Robinson kept that promise, which was very hard. On April 15, 1947, he played his first game for the Dodgers. Some teammates refused to play with him at first. Fans shouted hateful words from the stands. Pitchers threw at his head. Players on other teams tried to spike him with their cleats. Some hotels would not let him stay with the team. Through it all, Robinson kept playing, and he played brilliantly. He won Rookie of the Year in 1947 and Most Valuable Player in 1949.

Over ten seasons, Robinson helped the Dodgers reach the World Series six times. They won the championship in 1955. He was a fast and daring base runner, famous for stealing home plate 19 times in his career.

Robinson retired in 1956 and kept fighting for civil rights for the rest of his life. He worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and spoke out against unfair treatment of Black Americans. He died in 1972 at age 53.

In 1997, fifty years after his first game, Major League Baseball retired his number, 42, on every team. No new player on any team can ever wear it again. Each April 15, the league celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, and every player wears 42 in his honor.