Breaking Barriers

In the 1940s, major league baseball had been racially segregated for many years. A few people in the Major League tried to end segregation, but no one had succeeded. This was until Branch Rickey began his “great experiment.” Most white baseball owners debated against Jackie Robinson joining the Major Leagues because they knew that if he joined the Major Leagues, other African Americans would follow. This was a problem for them because they rented out their stadiums to the Negro Leagues when they were on the road, and they would lose a large portion of revenue if the two leagues were integrated. 

 Robinson began to play as a Dodger in 1947, and at age 28 he became the Major League baseballs oldest rookie. People reacted to this in all different ways from being very happy and excited, to being openly hostile. No matter how hard it was, his athletic ability prevailed and he played extremely well.