Rebuilding Rob

Of all the things I’ve blogged about over years, I cannot believed I’ve never blogged about today, April 15; or as it’s called in MLB, Jackie Robinson Day. If you don’t know the history of Jackie Robinson, then shame on you. Seriously, go Google him now. I’ll even provide you a link HERE

It was 76 years ago today that Robinson (with the help of then-Dodger General Manager Branch Rickey) broke baseball’s color barrier. I could talk ad nausea about everything Robinson endured: the racism, the vitriol, the death threats. But I think its also important to note not only his grace under said pressure; but how well he performed under pressure. For his on-field achievements, Robinson was the first recipient of the Rookie of The Year award (an award that was eventually renamed in his honor) and won the NL Most Valuable Player Award 2 years later . If you’re interesting, I wrote another post about Robinson previously HERE.

To put things into a broader, more historical perspective, Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier EIGHT YEARS BEFORE Rosa Park was infamously arrested for refusing to give up her seat in an Alabama bus – the moment for many American that kicked off the Civil Rights Movement.

Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. While the uniqueness of his accomplishments are self-evident, I feel like he was relegated to being the answer to a trivia question for many years.. I remember watching a interview with Ken Burns where he talked about his documentary Baseball. Burns explains that while doing the research for the documentary, he came to realize that Robinson breaking the color barrier is the most important event in the history of the game.

In 1997, as part of the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s first MLB game, then-Commissioner Bud Selig announced that Robinson’s number 42 would be retired league-wide. If I’m not mistaken, Robinson is still the only athlete in any of the four major North American sports to have received this accolade.

In 2007 Ken Griffey Jr. asked then-Commissioner Selig to wear 42 on Jackie Robinson. Selig approved the idea and within 2 years, 42 was worn by every player league-wide on April 15.

MLB is FAR from a perfect sports league. God knows I think they screw a lot of things up – the least of which being no salary cap and their mishandling of the Oakland A’s situation – but the pomp and circumstance surrounding Jackie Robinson Day is one thing the MLB actually does right.

42, the most recent Robinson biopic starring Chadwick Boseman, is available for streaming on Max and Tubi

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

• Sunday is borrowed time
• Teacher Armor and the Saturday Clearing
• The Extra Day: A Ten-Year Memory
• Of Training Wheels and Christmas Lights
• Charity Starts at Home (And I’m Back in My Childhood One)

The article “Jackie Robinson Day” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.