Channel Button

There are 6 articles on this title. You are reading the article ranked and rated #1 by Helium's members.

Sports & Recreation   >

Baseball Players

Get a Widget for this title

Biography: Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson's enduring legacy is his breaking of the "color barrier" that prohibited African-Americans from playing major league baseball for more than a half-century. With his highly chronicled participation in what was truly America's Pastime of that era, Robinson opened another avenue for African-Americans to play a role of prominence in American society, and to be cheered and beloved by people of all races.

In 1947, Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, and proved within weeks that he was a major league caliber player. His achievements were covered positively by most metropolitan newspapers and radio stations at the time, and he was tracked in great detail by the African-American media of the time. Thus, not only was he known widely, but he was known especially well by those people who had the most intense desire for him to succeed.

As a baseball player, Robinson easily earned selection to the Hall of Fame on the merit of his play, not just on his experience as a pioneer. He was a great hitter, a tremendous bunter, and able to use his speed to create havoc when he was on base. He is considered one of the game's greatest-ever baserunners, and movies or still photos of him sliding into home give a sense of his aggressive, smart ballplaying.

That Robinson became a Hall of Famer is remarkable, considering that his entry into the major leagues was delayed by 5 years or more due to his race. He had far less time than a white player of comparable skills would have had to make his mark. And of course, Robinson had to do it under incredible pressure and scrutiny.

With Robinson entrenched, the Dodgers in the next few years added more great African-American players, such as Roy Campanella (catcher) and Don Newcombe (pitcher). These players helped lift a perenially mediocre team into a perennial challenger for the World Series; and the team's ultimate victory in the 1955 World Series over the arch-rival Yankees. The victory was one of those moments that transcended race, as all of Brooklyn (and most of America) rejoiced with the new champs.

It should be noted that while Jackie Robinson is remembered as a baseball player, this was likely his third-best or fourth-best sport. His athletic skills were almost unparalleled. He played running back at Univ. of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and was probably the best player in the college game at the time, but the East Coast-centric nature of the media in the early 1940s denied him full recognition. He was an All-American


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Biography: Jackie Robinson

  • 1 of 6

    by B. B. James

    Jackie Robinson's enduring legacy is his breaking of the "color barrier" that prohibited African-Americans from playing major

    read more

  • 2 of 6

    by Darryl Brooks

    April 15, 2009 marked the 62nd anniversary of baseball great Jackie Robinson's debut as a major league baseball player, becoming

    read more

  • 3 of 6

    by Jared Garrett

    Jackie Robinson was the first African-American player in Major League Baseball in modern times. Some people think that Robinson

    read more

  • 4 of 6

    by James Harvey

    Today, major-league African American baseball players virtually dominate the sport. We see them so often it is easy to take

    read more

  • 5 of 6

    by Royce Radcliffe

    Jackie Robinson is known primarily as the first African American to break into major league baseball, a feat he accomplished

    read more

View All Articles on:
Biography: Jackie Robinson

Add your voice

Know something about Biography: Jackie Robinson?
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

Helium Debate

Cast your vote!

Is Sypher's Extortion of Rick Pitino Justified?

Click for your side.

87032

Featured Partner

Goldwater Institute

The Goldwater Institute was founded in 1988 by a small group of entrepreneurial Arizonans with the blessing of Senato...more

What is Helium? | Buy Web Content | Contact Us | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA | User Tools | Help | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA