what was the biggest challenge that jackie robinson faced over the "course" of his career?

by Dr. Efrain Quitzon 10 min read

Despite his talent and success as a player, Robinson faced tremendous racial discrimination throughout his career, from baseball fans and some fellow players. Additionally, Jim Crow laws prevented Robinson from using the same hotels and restaurants as his teammates while playing in the South.

Full Answer

What disadvantages did Jackie Robinson experience?

As early as first grade, Jackie Robinson showed athletic skill, but he quickly realized how many ways he was disadvantaged for being a Black American. He was not allowed to use the YMCA, which contained sporting equipment and facilities that would have allowed him to practice sports, and many arenas and fields were strictly segregated.

What did Jackie Robinson do to promote racial equality?

Robinson used his prominent position to promote racial equality. When the Dodgers went on the road, hotels in many cities refused to allow black players to stay in the same hotel as their white teammates. Robinson threatened that none of the players would stay at the hotel if all of them were not welcome,...

What did Jackie Robinson do that made him famous?

Jackie Robinson became the first Black player in the major leagues in 1947, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Did You Know? Jackie Robinson had an older brother, Matthew, who won a silver medal in the 200-meter dash at the 1936 Olympics. He came in second to Jesse Owens. Did You Know?

How many years did Jackie Robinson go to college?

Boasting a batting average of .417, Robinson was named Southern California's Most Valuable Junior College Player in 1938. Several universities finally took notice of Robinson, now willing to offer him a full scholarship to complete his last two years of college. Robinson couldn't decide where to attend.

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What did Jackie Robinson do to overcome his problems?

In 1947, Jackie Robinson engineered the integration of professional sports in America by breaking the color barrier in baseball. He overcame numerous obstacles in his 10 year career to become one of baseball's most exciting and dazzling players.

Did Jackie Robinson really break the color barrier?

On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke MLB's modern-day color barrier as the Dodgers hosted the Boston Braves. Today, players across the majors will wear Robinson's No. 42 -- and all of them in Dodger blue -- to recognize Robinson's debut, The Associated Press reported.

What challenges did Jackie Robinson face?

Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers Still, Robinson endured racist obscenities, hate mail and death threats for much of his career. It was his play in the field that ultimately silenced his critics.

What was Jackie Robinson's biggest challenge?

Answer: Put simply, Jackie Robinson's worst struggle was inclusion. Due to the segregation that existed in the United States during the time of his debut, Robinson faced racial taunts from fans, opponents, and some teammates, even though he had just as much a right to be on the baseball field.

Who really was the first black baseball player?

OverallPlayerTeamDateJackie Robinson †Brooklyn DodgersApril 15, 1947Larry Doby †Cleveland IndiansJuly 5, 1947Hank ThompsonSt. Louis BrownsJuly 17, 1947Willard Brown †St. Louis BrownsJuly 19, 194716 more rows

Who really broke the color barrier in baseball?

For baseball fans, civil rights activists and anyone who has seen the movie "42," it's considered common knowledge that Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Is 42 retired in baseball?

42. In a ceremony before the April 15, 1997, game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, Selig declared that No. 42 – Robinson's number with the Brooklyn Dodgers – would be permanently retired throughout Major League Baseball.

Did Jackie Robinson get hit in the head?

Jackie Robinson is helped by the Dodgers trainer and third base coach after being struck in the head by a pitch during a game in the 1949 season in Brooklyn.

Who was the first black professional athlete?

Earl Lloyd - When Earl Lloyd entered the National Basketball Association in 1950, he and three other players became the first Black players to do so.

Who Was Jackie Robinson?

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Robinson became the first Black athlete to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Throughout his decade-long career, Robinson distinguished himself as one of the game's most talented and exciting players, recording an impressive .311 career batting average. He was also a vocal civil rights activist.
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Early Life

  • Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. The youngest of five children, Robinson was raised in relative poverty by a single mother. He attended John Muir High School in Pasadena, California, and Pasadena Junior College, where he was an excellent athlete and played four sports: football, basketball, track and baseball. He was named the region's Most Valuable Player in baseball in 1938. Robinson's older brother, Matthe…
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U.S. Army

  • From 1942 to 1944, Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. However, he never saw combat. During boot camp at Fort Hood, Texas, Robinson was arrested and court-martialed in 1944 for refusing to give up his seat and move to the back of a segregated bus. Robinson's excellent reputation, combined with the efforts of friends, the NAACP and various Black newspapers, shed public light on the injustice. Ultimately he wa…
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Wife and Children

  • In the early 1940s, Robinson met nurse-in-training Rachel Isumwhen they were both attending UCLA. The couple was married on February 10, 1946. As Robinson made his career in the major leagues, the couple faced mounting racism, from insults to death threats. Later in life, both Jackie and Rachel became actively involved in the civil rights movement....
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Joining Major League Baseball

  • After his discharge from the Army in 1944, Robinson began to play baseball professionally. At the time, the sport was segregated, and African Americans and white people played in separate leagues. Robinson began playing in the Negro Leagues, but he was soon chosen by Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to help integrate Major League Baseball. He joined the all-white Montreal Royals, a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers, …
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Brooklyn Dodgers

  • From the beginning of his career with the Dodgers, Robinson's will was tested. Some of his new teammates objected to having an African American on their team. People in the crowds sometimes jeered Robinson, and he and his family received threats. Despite the racial abuse, particularly at away games, Robinson had an outstanding start with the Royals, leading the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage. …
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Rookie of The Year

  • Robinson succeeded in putting the prejudice and racial strife aside and showed everyone what a talented player he was. In his first year, he batted .297 with 12 home runs and helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant. That year, Robinson led the National League in stolen bases and was selected as Rookie of the Year. He continued to wow fans and critics alike with impressive feats, such as an outstanding .342 batting average durin…
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Stats

  • An exceptional base runner, Robinson stole home 19 times in his career, setting a league record. In 1955, he helped the Dodgers win the World Series. Before he retired, he became the highest-paid athlete in Dodgers' history. Over the course of his career in Major League Baseball, from 1947 to 1956, Robinson achieved the following stats: • .311 batting average (AVG) • 137 home runs (HR) • 4877 times at bat (AB) • 1518 hits (H) • 734 runs batted in (…
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World Series

  • In his decade-long career with the Dodgers, Robinson and his team won the National League pennant several times. Finally, in 1955, he helped them achieve the ultimate victory: winning the World Series. After failing before in four other series matchups, the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees. He helped the team win one more National League pennant the following season.
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Early Life

Growing Up in California

  • Mallie and her children moved into an apartment in Pasadena, California with her brother Samuel Wade, his wife Cora, and their family. She found work cleaning houses and eventually earned enough money to buy a house in a mostly-White neighborhood at 121 Pepper Street, but the family was still relatively poor in the abundantly wealthy city they now inhabited. The Robinsons continued to face extreme discrimination when they arrived in Pasadena…
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Becoming Involved in Sports

  • Robinson's siblings helped instill in him a fierce sense of competition and appreciation for sports. Brother Frank encouraged him by attending all of his sporting events. Willa Mae, also a talented athlete, excelled in the few sports that were available to women in the 1930s. Mack, the third eldest, was an inspiration to young Robinson. A world-class sprinter, Mack Robinson competed in the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and came home with a silver med…
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College Athletic Career

  • Upon graduation from high school in 1937, Robinson was sorely disappointed that he hadn't received a college scholarship despite his track record of athletic success. But determined to pursue a college degree anyway, he enrolled at Pasadena Junior College where he distinguished himself as a star quarterback, high scorer in basketball, and record-br...
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Leaving College

  • Robinson was a good student in addition to being a formidable athlete, but he was not convinced that earning a college degree would make him successful. He worried that despite getting a college education, he would have few opportunities to advance himself in any profession since he was Black. Jackie also had the welfare of his family on his mind, with his mother still struggling to make ends meet and his brother gone. In March 1941, only …
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Army Career

  • In 1942, Robinson was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Fort Riley in Kansas. Although the Army enforced barriers to Black enlistment during this time, Black Americans were part of a universal draft started in 1917 that did not contain provisions for race or ethnicity. Black Americans comprised a larger percentage of drafted young men in proportion to population than did White Americans. Paul T. Murray, author of "Blacks and the Draft: A Hist…
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Court-Martial of 1944

  • Robinson was later transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, where he continued to advocate for civil rights. Riding on an Army bus one evening with a female friend, he was ordered to go to the back of the bus by the bus driver, who mistakenly believed the woman to be White (she was Black, but her lighter skin made him think her White) and assumed she did not want to sit with a Black man. Fully aware that the Army had recently outlawed segregation …
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Playing in The Negro Leagues

  • In 1945, Robinson was hired as a shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs, a baseball team in the Negro Leagues. In major league professional baseball, there was an unwritten rule that Black players were not allowed to join. This rule, referred to as "the gentlemen's agreement," was established by MLB team owners to keep Black players from making it onto major league teams and thus out of professional baseball as much as possible. This ban was spe…
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Meeting with Branch Rickey

  • Dodgers president Branch Rickey, determined to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball, was looking for the ideal candidate to prove Black players had a place in the majors. This has often been referred to as "Baseball's Great Experiment." Rickey saw Robinson as that man, as Robinson was not only a talented athlete but also educated and strong, the latter a trait that Rickey felt would be critical when Robinson's recruitment inevitably re…
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Playing For The Montreal Royals

  • Like most new players, Robinson started out on a minor league team and became the first Black player in the minors. In October 1945, he signed with the Dodgers' top farm team, the Montreal Royals. Before the start of spring training, Robinson and Rachel Isum were married in February 1946 and headed to Florida for training camp two weeks after their wedding. Enduring vicious verbal abuse at games—both from those in the stands and the d…
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