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Brandon Jimenez Mr. Rodriguez L.A.

P1 1/31/12 Jackie Robinson In 1889 Baseball became segregated into two different leagues. Their was the colored league, which was made up of African-Americans and there was the White league which was consisted of white players. Baseball was not the only thing that was segregated though, schools, bathroms, and even drinking fountains were as well. Back then many things were segregated because of all the racism and discrimination towards African Americans. Things slowly started to change though "in 1947, when Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey approached Jackie Robinson about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers" (Jackie Robonsin the Official Website). Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in a cabin in cario, Georgia. Growing up for Jackie was hard for him because everyday he was faced with racism and discrimination. Even though he faced many obsticles in life he never let anything get to him and keeped striving for the best. "Robinson enrolled at Muir Technical High School, where he wins letter awards in baseball, basketball, football, and track" (De Marco, Tony 12). Even though Jackie was an all around sports player, he never got the recognition he deserved because he was an African American. Even in college, at the University of California at Los Angeles, Jackie continues to be an all around sports player. While at Los Angeles "he becomes the schools first letter winner in four sports: Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Track" (De Marco, Tony 15). In his last year at UCLA, as a senior, Jackie decided not to play sports and left

school believing that "a college education offered no gurantee that a blick man could find a job" (De marco, Tony 16). In 1945 Jackie decided to play for the Kansas City Monarchs, which was part of baseballs Negro Leagues. Jackie played one year in the Negro Leagues before being picked up by the Broklyn Dodgers. Doders President Branch Richey took a gamble on drafting Jackie because he himself would be harassed for putting the first African American to play in the major leagues since segregation began in 1889. "By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nations preminent sport, Jackie courageously challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South" (Jackie Robinson, the Official Website). Over the course of ten years Jackie Robinson would earn many awards and be the first African American to be obducted in the Hall of Fame. Another thing that happend was that more African Americans would be drafted into the Major Leagues due to the fact that they too can be outstanding players. Although Jackie Robinson didn't play a major role is stopping segregation he slowly changed the course of segregation in sports. This would later ead to the end of segregation in Gereral. Jackie once said, "Life is not a spectator sport. . . if you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life" (De Marco, Tony1). In my opinion i believe Jackie was trying to say that instead of sitting back and taking the easy way in life try to make a difference in the world big or small because you only have one chance to live.

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