Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball

Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2002. First Printing. Wraps. As new. wraps, 168 pages, footnotes, notes This book was published to celebrate the 60th anniversary of integrating Major League baseball. Scott Simon, the host of NPR's Weekend Edition, reveals how Jackie Robinson's heroism brought the country face-to-face with the question of racial equality. Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman who became the first African American to play in the major leagues in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers, by playing Robinson, heralded the end of racial segregation that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Robinson had an exceptional 10-year baseball career. He was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949-the first black player so honored. Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship. In 1997, MLB "universally" retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams; he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored. Robinson's character, his use of nonviolence, and his unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation which then marked many other aspects of American life. He influenced the culture of and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement Robinson also was the first black television analyst in MLB, and the first black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full o'Nuts. In recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.