The importance of racial integration in baseball lies in the popularity of the sport and the value that the average American citizen had for the pastime. Baseball was viewed as America’s sport not only by its popularity but also because of how it was played. Baseballs’ team oriented principles and tough competition, can be directly correlated with the ideals of the American society. As Americans, we value the belief that we can improve our current status by working hard and utilizing our surroundings. Before Jackie Robinson, African Americans did not posses these same abilities. They were allowed to move up and down within the black society, but they

Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Larry Doby drew such large crowds that even in the south where Jim Crow laws were the strongest, cities requested the Dodgers play in exhibition games. As the minor leagues became more integrated some social norms began to evolve for the athletic entertainers. The mere allowance of blacks to play on the same field as whites in the south was a major step. In most cases, blacks were still not allowed to eat or sleep in the same restaurants and hotels that their team would. However, in some instances, the establishment would allow the African American to join his team because of his baseball status (Tygiel, p.253).

These players changed many of their fellow Americans’ attitudes by playing above their white counterparts. Once thought to be inferior to white baseball players, African American athletes now were thought to “have an inborn advantage in natural speed and strength” as stated by Boston Brave scout Jack Zeller (Tygiel, p. 252). The successes of Robinson and Doby proved to those doubting Americans that blacks could compete at the highest level of baseball. Jackie proved this to be true as he was named Rookie of the Year in 1947 and in 1949 named his league’s most valuable player (Robinson and Worrell; Athletes as Agents of Societal Change). The ageless Satchel Paige came into the league as a member of the Cleveland Indians while he was predicted to be in his mid-forties. At this same age, only very few players had proven that they were still able to compete like Paige (Tygiel, p.229). Common beliefs were soon changed around the United States as baseball’s acceptance of blacks led to an influx of African Americans into baseball’s farm system. The introduction of black players into the minor leagues had an enormous impact on the integration of African Americans into baseball.

Jackie Robinson’s great achievements on and off the field have played a major role in the societal changes that have occurred since he was introduced to major league baseball as a Brooklyn Dodger in 1947. He may have been twenty years early but Jackie helped start the civil rights era of the 1960’s. Not only did he bring changes in civil rights, but also to the dynamics of the economy in America and he also defined the outline for an American star. Jackie’s great success on and off the field makes him one of the true heroes of American history.

Racial integration not only changed the attitudes and beliefs of many Americans, but it impacted the economic standing of a large amount of people. In some aspects the change was a posit

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