Jackie Robinson Day: More Than A Publicity Stunt
Today is an important day for baseball, but also for American history. Today is the day that Jackie Robinson stepped onto a Major League Baseball diamond to play second base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
A momentous occasion, certainly. This was the first time in the modern era of Major League Baseball that a black player had played for any team. Learned baseball scholars will tell you that Robinson wasn't the first black baseball player, simply the first in a long time, and they would be right. They would also be missing the point.
There was nothing unusual about a black person playing professional baseball. Major League Baseball had no rule explicitly forbidding them to play, there were several black minor leaguers, and they had even established a successful Negro League Baseball.
Nor was there anything unusual about the notion of Jackie Robinson being a gifted athlete. He was a standout football player at UCLA, and was the school's first athlete to receive a letter in four sports: football, basketball, baseball, and track. On top of that, prior to this date, Robinson was a Negro League All-Star. The fact the kid was gifted was not a secret, and it was not of any significance until one day:
April 15, 1947. The day Jackie Robinson stepped onto the playing surface in Ebbets Field.
The idea of a black person playing professional baseball was not alien, but the idea of a black person playing Major League baseball? That was insanity.
April 15, 1947.
Before Brown vs Board of Education de-segregated the schools.
Before Martin Luther King, Jr. dared to have a dream.
Before Rosa Parks refused to vacate her bus seat.
Before the NAACP.
Before Willie Mays stepped into center field and proved to be the best all-around athlete to ever play the game of baseball.
Before Hank Aaron did the impossible and broke Babe Ruth's career home run record.
Before Barry Bonds broke Aaron's record.
Before America elected an African-American President in a landslide victory. Before blacks were even allowed the right to vote in every state.
Before any of this, Jackie Robinson stepped on first base in Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947.
Before blacks across America had to demand to be treated equally, Jackie Robinson defiantly proved that blacks could perform and even out-perform whites when given the chance. And all he had to do was play baseball.
Today, Robinson's No. 42 is retired by every Major League team. The only active player who can still wear No. 42 is Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, because he was already wearing it before the rule went into effect.
Today, however, every player on every Major League team will be wearing No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson.
But let's take a step back. Is this what Robinson would have really wanted, or is this just a publicity stunt for Bud Selig and Major League Baseball?
The answer is: No, Robinson would not want this grandiose celebration of his career.
Jackie Robinson didn't want to be remembered as a great black baseball player, but as a great baseball player period. He didn't want any special treatment because he happened to constitute an historical event. It was in this vein that when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he requested that his plaque not make any mention of his breaking of the color barrier—he simply wanted his numbers and awards posted, and he would let those speak for themselves.
Honoring his request, Robinson's plaque read as follows:
"Jack Roosevelt Robinson
Brooklyn N.L. 1947 to 1956
Leading N.L. batter in 1949. Holds fielding mark for second basemen playing in 150 or more games with .992. Led N.L. in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949. Most valuable player in 1949. Lifetime batting average .311. Joint record holder for most double plays by second baseman, 137 in 1951. Led second basemen in double plays 1949-50-51-52."
And it stayed that way until last year, when Cooperstown saw fit to defy Robinson's wish and make him a new plaque that reads as follows:
"Jack Roosevelt Robinson
'Jackie'
Brooklyn, N.L., 1947-1956
A player of extraordinary ability renowned for his electrifying style of play, over 10 seasons hit .311, scored more than 100 runs six times, named to six All-Star teams and led Brooklyn to six pennants and its only World Series title, in 1955. The 1947 Rookie of the Year, and the 1949 N.L. MVP when he hit a league-best .342 with 37 steals. Led second basemen in double plays four times and stole home 19 times, displayed tremendous courage and poise in 1947 when he integrated the modern Major Leagues in the face of intense adversity."
Today, Bud Selig is again defying Robinson's wish to be remembered not for the color of his skin, but the greatness of his play. This time by forcing every Major Leaguer to wear Robinson's No. 42. Ostensibly, this is "to demonstrate the magnitude of his impact on the game of baseball."
We don't need a demonstration, Bud. We already know. Robinson's play spoke for itself. Please don't cheapen that with publicity stunts like these.
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