Table of ContentsIntroductionImpact on the WorldConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionJackie Robinson was an important and influential figure in history who had a positive impact on American sports as a whole because he challenged racism. Jackie Robinson is widely known as the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956 and showed great talent. "I don't care if you like me or don't like me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being." a famous quote from Robinson that means he doesn't want people to treat him as less human because he is African American. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, on a plantation in Cairo, Georgia. Her mother, Mallie Robinson, moved Jackie's family to California. In high school, Jackie played football, basketball, baseball, and track. Robinson was attending college, but left shortly before graduation due to enlisting in the military. While in the military, he faced segregation and racism from his white comrades. Robinson became a second lieutenant after numerous problems getting into officer candidate school. Later in Robinson's career, he was court-martialed after refusing to sit in the back of a bus, but was later acquitted. Jackie Robinson was inspired to play baseball by one of his brothers, Matthew Robinson. Robinson got his start in the Negro Leagues and played only one season before being drafted into the major leagues. One of the biggest accomplishments under his belt is how he performed despite all the hate he received. Robinson wasn't even allowed to play for a while as police threatened to cancel games and many training facilities wouldn't allow him to use them. Robinson even faced racism from his own team, some of whom refused to play with him despite his strong performance. Things calmed down when Robinson's manager gave a speech and said he would trade them if they didn't play Robinson. Robinson was also booed and insulted by game audiences and even sent death threats. Opposing teams also played hard on him by throwing shots at him. He was hit by the most pitches in a single season, with a total of 72 pitches in his entire career. Despite all this hatred, Robinson controlled himself and earned the respect of fans and other players. Perhaps Robinson's most significant accomplishment was breaking the color barrier in MLB. Before Robinson's debut in April 1947, there were only white men in the Major League. Jackie Robinson inspired many great African American players to play for the MLB, such as Larry Doby, Willard Brown and Monte Irvin, all of whom were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Although not all of these players were well received at first, they all became well respected within the baseball and African American communities. Another well-known accomplishment of Robinson's was how good he was at his sport. Jackie Robinson was a legendary baseball player, not just because he was African American. While Jackie was in the major leagues, he had 137 home runs, 1,518 hits, a .331 BA, 734 RBI, and 197 stolen bases, astonishing overall statistics. Some people even claimed he had skills rivaling Babe's