I have to admit. I am not a sports fan.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to play sports. I just don’t like watching.
Despite my disinterest in watching sports, I would call Jackie Robinson the athlete I respect and admire the most. However, his talent as an American Baseball player wouldn’t explain my admiration for him, but rather his character.
In the 1940s, baseball was extremely different from today. The rules of the game were the same, but the baseball league segregated races between white and black players (the Major league vs the Negro league). Robinson, being an African American, knew if he pursued a professional career in baseball, he would face extreme hardships. In fact, opponents would shout racial slurs at him, hotel clerks denied him service, and most notably, his experience with Ben Chapman would be an enormous challenge for him.
“I think the Philadelphia Phillies, with Ben Chapman, was perhaps the most vicious of any of the people in terms of name calling”
Jackie Robinson
Despite everything Robinson had faced, he never retaliated. In fact, he eventually even took a friendly picture with Chapman to help save his job.
What makes Robinson so extraordinary to me is his clear sense of purpose and self-control. He knew that the best revenge was not retaliation, but to be a better person. He also knew that his unflinching stoicism would only prove the racist wrong about their opinions. Thanks to this hero, many other black players (Larry Doby and Hank Thompson) were able to reach the big show by the end of the season.
Robinson’s legacy goes far beyond baseball. His passive resistance combat to racism made him a reputable figure in the American Civil Rights movement, and even a foreshadowing to future figures such as Martin Luther King Jr.
