Jackie Robinson - Week 13

Today in class we watched a video about Jackie Robinson and the things he had to overcome in his professional baseball career. It's hard to believe that Jackie was a strong enough person to just sit back and take all of the name calling and isolation from his opponents, fans in the stadium, and even his own teammates. I knew that Jackie broke the color barrier and that his playing for the Dodgers paved the way for generations of colored athletes to come. What I didn't know was that Jackie also opened the door for other colored athletes in other sports like hockey, tennis, and golf. Jackie Robinson's silence during his days of verbal abuse serves as a symbol for the beginning of civil liberties and equalities in sport.
In my last blog I wrote about Athletes today as role models. You couldn't find a better role model than Robinson. He is the epitome of what a role model should be. Not only did he set a good example off the field which is where most athletes have a problem today, he set a good example on the field. In his case, on the field is where he needed to use the most restraint and he most certainly did. Also of course he was a great baseball player which helps with the role model status.
After all is said and done, I just hope that as Jackie Robinson's legacy was continued this year, it will continue to be remembered in the future because it's a story that needs to be told.
As far as the video we saw in class. I don't think at all that it shouldn't have been played. History is exactly that and it should not be altered or sugarcoated in any way, shape, or form. The only way to learn from the past is to get the proper facts and details, no matter how upsetting, can be crucial to someone's understanding of what Jackie Robinson was up against.