Public Response

(Wheat's Landscape, Athletic Field Maintenance)

"Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?"
~ Jackie Robinson, 1946

"I'm looking for a Negro with guts enough not to fight back."

~ Branch Rickey, 1946

"Fans don't boo nobodies."

~ Reggie Jackson

"Hearing racist taunts from fans and players prior to a game, Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese is said to have put his arm around Robinson on the field to indicate that he was accepted by those wearing a Brooklyn uniform. Still, Robinson endured racist obscenities, hate mail and death threats for much of his career."

~ The History Channel, November 17, 2019

A large part of the white population at this time didn't want to see a black man succeed, and they made that extremely clear.

Jackie Robinson was the star of the show, and as a result he faced extreme acts of racism and hatred. What may be overlooked however, is the racism and intolerance that Wendell also faced. 

Wendell Smith was never allowed into the press box because these areas were reserved for white journalists only. As a result, Wendell brought a portable typewriter to all of Robinson's games. He sat in the stands, typewriter in lap, writing monumental reports on every play Robinson made.

Not only did racism affect Wendell's ability to do his job, but it also stopped him from fulfilling some of his ambitions and personal goals.

"While in his position with the Courier, he applied for membership in the Baseball Writers Association of America, but was denied because the Courier was not one of the white-owned newspapers that was of the “credibility” necessary for membership."

~ Great Black Heroes

​​​​​​​

Not everyone felt averse to African Americans making an appearance in baseball history, and Smith and Robinsn both received their fair share of accolades.

" In a 1987 "Player's Choice" survey, [Robinson] was voted the greatest second baseman of his era despite having played there regularly for only five seasons."

"[Robinson] won major-league baseball's first official Rookie of the Year award and was the first baseball player, black or white, to be featured on a United States postage stamp.​​​​​​​"
~ Society for American Baseball Research

"Since Smith’s death, numerous organizations have recognized his importance within the realms of sport, journalism, and civil rights. In 1993, Smith became the first African-American recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing, accepted by his widow Wyonella. In 2013, Andre Holland portrayed Smith in the Jackie Robinson biopic film 42 showing Smith’s contributions to a wide audience."

~ The National Baseball Hall of Fame

Without the support of white club owners, fans, and teammates, neither Robinson nor Smith would have been able to achieve all that they did. While it is true that there were thousands of people that would do anything in their power to deter these men from accomplishing their goals, there were also enough Americans that saw a brighter future for baseball and were willing to join forces with them.