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Jackie Robinson: Branch Rickey
built 230 days ago
At spring training in 1947, Jackie Robinson's own teammates circulated a petition against Robinson. However, Branch Rickey told the Dodger players that Robinson was staying. If they did not like it, Rickey would get rid of them.
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Robinson agreed, though to do so was very much out of character; he was once court-martialed in the army for refusing to move to the back of a bus. Rickey and Robinson had an understanding that Robinson would be silent for three seasons. Robinson was widely revered for his show of restraint in the face of jeers, slurs, and discrimination from fans, opposing players, and even his own teammates. During spring training, before appearing in his first major league game, Dodger teammates started a petition to prevent him from playing. The team's manager, Leo Durocher, put a stop to their efforts. Still, Robinson often had separate accommodations when the team was traveling.
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Jackie returned home after World War II and played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American Baseball League. He was so successful that he caught the eye of Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie signed with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers top farm league. He only played with the Royals for the 1946 season before Rickey moved him to the Dodgers to play in the major league. Since Jackie was the first African American baseball player to play in the major league, he had a tough fight. Rickey made him promise to "have enough guts to not fight back" (Rudeen p.28).
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With the 1947 Spring Training Dodger Roster book in hand, Robinson is preparing to make history, as the first African American to cross the color barrier and play in the major leagues since the nineteenth century. Robinson, who promised Dodger President Branch Rickey "not to fight back" when confronted with all manner of racial slurs and death threats, was uniquely qualified to make the opportunity a success. He spent the 1946 season with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers' top farm club, in the International League, where he hit .349 to win the batting crown. He began 1947 Spring Training with the Royals and has the "M" on his cap for Montreal. Robinson was named Rookie of the Year for the majors in 1947, an award which today bears his name in both the National and American Leagues.
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Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. Even then he was surrounded by controversy, as fellow electee Bob Feller said that he didn't want to enter the Hall at the same time as Robinson. At his induction, Robinson called up three people from the audience to stand with him as he accepted the honor: his mother, his wife, and Branch Rickey. Robinson's respect and admiration for Rickey had never waned. He knew how important Rickey had been at helping blacks enter mainstream sports in the United States. When Rickey died in 1965, Robinson complained about the low number of blacks who had come to the funeral.
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Robinson's agreement with Rickey only required silence for one full season. When he started to speak out, he became a major public figure. In 1949 he was summoned before the House Un-American Activities Committee to rebut Paul Robeson's contention that American blacks would not fight against the Soviet Union because of racism at home. Ironically, Robeson had once addressed Commissioner Landis and the team owners on the need for integration in the majors. Robinson later felt apologetic about his being used against Robeson, and said, "I would reject such an invitation if offered now." Robinson later told a "Youth Wants to Know" audience that "the Yankee management is prejudiced."
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Branch Rickey