Jackie Robinson and the "Great Experiment"
By Stephen Kline
Links by Neil Massai and Brian Dye
Jackie Robinson was one of the most influential black figures in sports. The impact of his baseball career has had a lasting effect on sports ever since he decided to participate in the "great experiment".
For years and years, blacks had not been able to play sports with the white people in the United States. They enjoyed baseball and were good at it like everyone else but they were told that they had to play in their own "Negro Leagues". The only reason that they were separated from the regular leagues was because of the color of their skin. This was wrong in a lot of ways and there were many people that did not want it to be this way. They knew that this kind of treatment was wrong and they wanted to do something about it. One of these men was Branch Rickey.
Branch Rickey was the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942. The Dodgers had been having a few bad years as a team and Mr. Rickey's job was to find new players for the team. He knew that there were some very talented players in the Negro Leagues that he could get to play on his team. Most importantly, Mr. Rickey knew that not letting black players on the team was wrong and he wanted to do something about it. He decided that he was going to find a black player that would be a good Major League baseball player. He also wanted to find someone that would be tough enough mentally so that he could put up with all the mean things that people would say to him because he was black. After a lot of searching, Mr. Rickey found Jackie Robinson. Mr. Rickey knew that he would be the first person ever to have a black man play for him in the Major Leagues. Because of this, some people called Jackie Robinson the "great experiment"
Jackie was a great choice for the job. He was good at baseball and had experience playing with other white players while he went to school at UCLA and was in the Army. He was also able to control his temper when the other players and fans would taunt and make fun of him while he was playing. This was very difficult for him to do.
Before Branch Rickey put Jackie Robinson in the Major League, he put him on the Montreal Royals, a Minor League team. At his first game in April 1946, Jackie understood how difficult it would be to play on a team where all the other players were white. He was made fun of by the players on the other teams, the fans and even his own teammates. Despite all the mean things people did and said to him, Jackie was tough and ignored all these things. When he proved that he was very good at baseball, he began to be accepted by his team and the fans. Jackie Robinson used his popularity to change people's ideas about all men being equal no matter what race or color they are.
The changes that were first made in Major League sports because of Jackie Robinson's accomplishments are obvious. Today black players have an important role most sports today, showing how important Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey's were in making sure there is equality in Major League sports.
Outline:
1.The history of blacks in baseball
2.Branch Rickey's work
a. President of Brooklyn Dodgers
b. The "great experiment"
3. Jackie Robinson's early baseball career
4. Jackie Robinson's Major League career
5. The results of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickeys's work
Questions:
1. Where did Jackie Robinson play baseball before he went to play for the Royals?
2. Who was the first man to ask a black player to play in the Major League?
3. In what year did Jackie Robinson first play for the Royals?
4. How do you think Jackie Robinson felt when people made fun of him while he was playing baseball?
5. Do you think he was distracted at all?
6. Why do you think people were mean to black people back then?
7. Were they doing the right things?
Sources:
http://www.afroam.org/history/Robinson/leadoff.html#branch
http://www.afroam.org/history/Robinson/intro.html
Answers to questions:
1. Jackie played At UCLA and for the Army .
2. Jackie Robinson was the first black player in the Major League.
3. He played for the Royals in 1946.
4. Many possible answers.
5. Many possible answers.