Jackie Robinson
How One Player Changed the World Forever
Early Life
Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919. One day, his father left the family during 1920. They had to move to a poorer area and Jackie Robinson’s mother acquired many odd jobs to support the family. Because of this, Robinson never got many recreational opportunities. He enrolled in John Muir High School in 1935. Because his brothers won silver in the 1936 Summer Olympics, they wanted Robinson to have an interest in sports. Jackie Robinson won junior singles championship in the Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament in 1936.
Adult Life
In 1945, Robinson was given an offer to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues. He went there, but later was given an offer from the Dodgers to join their team. By joining the Dodgers, Robinson had to not fight back even if he was bullied very badly. In 1946, Jackie Robinson married Rachel Robinson and had three kids: Jackie Robinson Jr., Sharon, and David. He was called to come to the Dodgers six days before the start of the season in 1947 in the position First Baseman. This was just the beginning of Jackie Robinson’s impact on the world.
Acomplishments
When Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947, this was known as breaking the color barrier. The color barrier meant that before this, black people were segregated in baseball. For Robinson to “break” the color barrier was a big deal and it led the way in less segregation. While playing, Jackie Robinson was thrown many hurtful comments. He stood up and didn’t back down, which helped to show that he wasn’t going to care what they said. Later, he played in six world series of which the Dodgers won in 1955. He won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1949, being the first black player to win this accomplishment. In 1962, Robinson became eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was elected on the first ballot becoming the first black baseball player to get into the museum. This showed that anyone could be great, even black people.