Jackie Robinson, Most Influential Athlete

Jackie Robinson was a phenomenal athlete as well as a brave and

courageous individual. Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball’s color

barrier in 1947, when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers (Rennert51). This was all part of Branch Rickey’s plan to integrate professional baseball. If it were not for the likes of Branch Rickey’s experiment with Robinson where would baseball be today, without the likes of talents such as Ken Griffey Jr., Hank Arron, Willie Mays and countless other black baseball players? Rickey needed a good ball player, but not only that he needed a tough man who could handle the pressure of being harassed on a daily basis by the fans, and also the players. Although Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier racism still remains today in the MLB.

Jackie Robinson’s family were sharecroppers. He was born the youngest of five children(Edgar, Frank, Mack, Willa May). Money did not come easily for the Robinson family since they were sharecroppers (Tygiel 15). When Jackie was six months old his father left the family. The Robinson’s then decided

rising stars. In 1959, Elijah Green joined the Boston Red Sox, which became the

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