Baseball honored a great player and a great person in Jackie Robinson yesterday. In each game played on Apr. 15, all players wore No. 42 to celebrate the breaking of the color barrier in baseball.
Baseball has its right in honoring Jackie. Baseball retired his jersey in 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color line. After Mariano Rivera retires from baseball, no active player will wear his uniform number.
But what of the NFL and the NBA? Does anybody know who Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall are? They are the first two black players to play professional football, with both Pollard playing for the Akron Pros and Marshall suiting up for the Rock Island Independents in 1920.
How about Kenny Washington? He is considered the first black football player of the modern NFL era, drafted by the LA Rams in 1946.
As for basketball, do we honor Earl Lloyd, who crossed the color line in 1950 to play for the Washington Capitols?
Robinson showed a lot of courage and heart back in 1947 to play professional baseball. I cannot even imagine the taunts and ridicule that he faced. But Pollard, Marshall, Washington, and Lloyd also faced the same taunts and ridicule in their respective sports.
So, how about it, NFL and NBA? Any plans to honor these men as well?
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