Nick HolmMrs. YoungEnglish April 14, 2014Baseballs Color Line Pee Wee Reese talks to Jackie Robinson before a game: "Maybe one day we'll all wear number 42 so they can't tell us apart." Baseball has always been a white male sport since its inception. People didn't think people of color were allowed to play just because of the color of their skin. Everything changed when the Brooklyn Dodgers took a huge gamble that changed the hearts of the nation and created equality for all. Baseball has changed tremendously over the past century; the biggest change came from the civil rights movement, which also made the nation more united. Jackie Robinson not only became the first African American baseball player, he also led the movement for the first African American president and equal rights (Bilyeu). Mr. Robinson would later sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers on October 23, 1945, becoming the first black professional baseball player (Young). Baseball wasn't quite ready for a player of color, so Jackie played one year for the Montreal Dodgers minor league team (as a youth). There he would lead the International League by defeating all white athletes (Bilyeu). Just before the start of the 1947 season, Robinson received a phone call on April 10 telling him that he would be with the Dodgers the upcoming season (Bilyeu). On April 15, 1947, he had made his Major League debut and began his journey to silence the critics and show everyone that the color of your skin doesn't matter, but if you can play, you can play (Bilyeu). he had been confronted in his childhood; therefore, it prepared him for the changes he would make in the Major League when he entered it years later, Jackie was... middle of paper... where they wanted to be. Magic said in an interview: "I take very seriously the honor of being a minority owner in an organization where Jackie Robinson played." By that he meant that if it weren't for Robinson, who knows where he would be today and that he greatly appreciates the scrutiny and racism that Mr. Robinson had to overcome during his career ( Bilyeu). Baseball has seen many changes since its beginnings, but none as significant as the integration of African Americans; it changed the attitude of the nation and brought everyone together. Thanks to the Brooklyn Dodgers bringing in a player who has stood up to racism and integration scrutiny so well. Now everyone wants to be like Jackie and make a huge impact in their life like him. Jackie said: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives..”