Remembering the legacy of a baseball pioneer

Jet, April 16, 2007 by Melody K. Hoffman

Jackie Robinson's name resonates in America as a brave baseball pioneer. He's remembered as a courageous man who looked racism right in the eye, swung at it with his charismatic personality, then hit the skepticism right out of the ballpark.

Now, 60 years after he broke Major League Baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, his first outing as a Brooklyn Dodger, Robinson's legacy is celebrated for integrating America on and off the field. But has it had a lasting effect?

"Jack was truly a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement and an ardent crusader for opportunity through education," said Rachel Robinson, who founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation in 1973, a year after her husband's death. "As a gifted athlete, savvy and socially conscious businessman and dedicated activist, Jack was guided by the belief that, 'A life is not important except in its impact on other lives.'"

While Robinson's accomplishments have been woven into America's culture, has his legacy been lost on today's generation? Has his importance been equated to a mere history lesson?

"It is clear that Jackie Robinson's impact is not as apparent to young people today," Jimmie Lee Solomon, the executive vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, told JET. "It is evident in the fact that we are having declining numbers of African-American baseball players. We have many of our young Black kids see our sport not as hip or as cool as sometimes as basketball or of that nature. However, we're attempting to rededicate ourselves to impacting the declining knowledge of Jackie and his legacy," said Solomon, who added that MLB has several initiatives in place to reverse the trend.

Since Robinson's integration of the sport, the league has seen both a growth and now a decline of Black participation. According to Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, only 8.4 percent of major league players last season were Black (defined as U.S.-born African-Americans), the lowest level in at least two decades. In 1975 Blacks filled 27 percent of roster spots.

While there are many theories to explain the cultural disconnect from America's pastime (economics, social situations, salary cap), it remains a rude-awakening that the number of Black major league players and Black college players are on a downward spiral.

Jimmy Rollins, the Philadelphia Phillies three-time All-Star shortstop, wants to use Robinson's 60th anniversary to resuscitate baseball's roots in the Black community--including fans.

"This is a very strong opportunity for us African-American ballplayers in the league to re-establish baseball as a fun sport and a viable way out and up for our youth," Rollins explained to JET. "Especially our inner-city youth, which is where I come from. When I visit ballparks I used to play in as a kid around Oakland, those ballparks are now choked with weeds 3 feet high.

"What Jackie Robinson suffered, the dirty plays and the racism, he still played the game like a gentleman. As we remember what Robinson did, I know we can get our youth interested in baseball again. I see the impact that Ryan Howard (teammate and 2006 NL MVP) and I have with the kids in Philadelphia ... they're playing baseball in the neighborhoods again."

James A. Riley, the director of research for the Negro League Museum in Kansas City, MO, and author of the landmark volume, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, feels Robinson's legacy has grown with the generations.

"I don't believe it's been lost," explains Riley. "After baseball opened the door, of course, basketball and football followed. If a Black youngster goes to the NFL or to the NBA instead, I see that as a part of Jackie's accomplishments."

Robinson's legacy continues to grow through his foundation. Della Britton Baeza, president and CEO of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, says celebrating Robinson's 60th anniversary brings to the forefront imperative issues.

"It's important to have events to refer to in our modern-day struggles to remind the world that there really is no reason to discriminate against someone based on their color. That's why anniversary commemorations are so important, because we have such a rich history and we have rich opportunities like Jackie Robinson's heroism to point to as examples for why discrimination is so patently unreasonable," she said.

On April 15, "Jackie Robinson Day," all Major League Baseball clubs that play at home will recognize his contributions to the league and society. The national ceremony of the 60th anniversary will be in Dodger Stadium. L.A. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will host the largest celebration for the baseball hero.

"The Dodgers handed Jackie Robinson a jersey, and that was an epic event, not just in baseball, but in American history. We're very proud it's part of our legacy."

By Melody K. Hoffman

JET MAGAZINE