Jackie Robinson’s Impact By Mike Werner ETE 100 Sec. 03 Sunday, September 04, 2005 Sunday, September 04, 2005

A little Background History  Black baseball teams started around the 1880’s  Interestingly enough, Moses “Fleetwood” Walker was really the first African American pro baseball player  In 1887, the International League no longer allowed black baseball players into their league

A little more Background  An alternative to the major leagues or baseball leagues was the Negro leagues in which blacks “barnstormed.” (click on word to find out more) barnstormed  As a side note: It’s unfortunate that segregation among the leagues occurred since many star black baseball players failed to get recognition for their contributions to the game.

What does barnstorming mean?  Barnstorming simply means that black baseball players had to search for baseball games by traveling around the country.

Jackie Robinson  Jackie Robinson seen here on the right playing for the Negro league team, the Kansas City Monarchs.  The year was 1945, two years prior to coming into the major leagues.

Behind the Scenes  Branch Ricky, the man on the right, was the man behind helping get Jackie Robinson into to baseball, and reintegrating baseball.

The Process of finding a Player  According to the website, Ricky was intent on finding a baseball player with ethical and athletic qualities.  Robinson may not have been the most talented  Ricky actually tested Robinson in his interview  Click on picture to see Ricky signing Robinson to a contract. picture

Ricky and Robinson

 Unfortunately, Robinson was not accepted by other teams  Robinson cringes after getting hit by a pitch

This is a famous picture of Robinson stealing home Robinson’s impact is still felt today