A Tribute to Jackie Robinson
April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball. Every player and manager wears his number (42) to celebrate what Jackie meant to baseball and to America.
Jackie Robinson is one of my heroes. Many know that Robinson was the first African-American to break Baseball’s color barrier, but most incorrectly believe that it was because he was the best.
He wasn’t the best. Most people think he was, but those who know baseball recognize that there were many better Negro League Players at the time Jackie was chosen. He was a great athlete, starring in 4 sports while in college at UCLA, but Jackie was chosen because the man who chose him knew that Jackie was one of the mentally strongest men he had ever watched or known.
He knew Jackie would persevere through death threats to he and his wife. He knew Jackie would not fight with people who hated him, who threw things at him, and who hurt him. The man who chose Jackie knew that if he chose a man who used his fists to fight back, the chance to change baseball might disappear. He needed a man strong enough to NOT FIGHT rather than one who would. Compare this with a teenager’s image of what it means to be respected in the year 2014 and we immediately recognize teachable moments for young adults.
Branch Rickey, General Manager of the Dodgers at the time, chose Jackie Robinson because Jackie, more than any other person knew that he was walking into a fight that would leave him bloodied and beaten, and one that he could never raise his hands to defend himself in. That’s right; in order to lead the way for others, Jackie had to put himself in the line of fire every time he stepped into any public place. He had to maintain a dignity that was far beyond those who directed hatred at him and his family. Some close to him wanted him to quit, some of his teammates turned on him, and through it all he could never make any public comment for fear that it would end not only his opportunity but the opportunity for all that would come after him. How many teens are so resilient that they are equipped to deal with negative peer pressures in much the same way?
Nobody knows if Jackie had a breaking point. Most say he would have never allowed anyone to see that he could be beaten by hatred, but an interesting thing happened during Jackie’s second year. Just when it seemed that he would find no one to help him, or befriend him, one of his teammates did an interesting thing. In the middle of an inning, while the team was on the field, he called timeout, walked over to Jackie and hugged him. This man (Pee Wee Reese), a native of Kentucky where racial divisions were still the norm, saw Jackie’s strength and he respected him. Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson showed the world shining examples of character, courage, and dignity.
Jackie Robinson is a hero to me not because he was a great baseball player but rather because he reminds me to be dignified at all times. He reminds me that I can be better than those who try to remove my dignity. He also shows me that I can overcome those things in my life that are far smaller than what he had to endure.
In this way he helps me find perspective. He shows me that my “big deals” aren’t really big deals at all. Compared to what he had to go through the challenges I face are small. My life has never been threatened and nobody has ever threatened my wife or my children. Jackie had to go through this every day, in every town he traveled to, even with many of his teammates, and with fans from every city he traveled to!
Every team in baseball honors Jackie because of his powerful message. From now on, no team will allow any new player to wear #42, Jackie’s number. At every Major League Baseball stadium you’ll see a tribute to Jackie on an outfield wall, or a pennant hanging from the bleachers. There is no other player in history that has had his number retired by every team.
Jackie’s power was in his dignity. My hope is for students to learn of Jackie’s message so that his dignity lives on in others and they come to know and feel his power.
What it means to be "Jackie Robinson Strong"
Never settle problems with fists.
Never discriminate against another person.
Never fail to “see” the real person behind the color of their skin, or the type of their clothing, or any manner of their appearance.
Never react to challenges. Respond. When we respond, we think about our actions. When we react, we think only after we act, and we often regret what we’ve done.
Always see the dignity in others.
Always see the greatness in others.
Always set an example for others.
Understand that the most powerful heroes of all are those who understand the awesome responsibility that it is to be a role model!
Jackie Robinson is one of my heroes!
