OPINION: Jackie Robinson’s limited legacy
Every year on April 15, baseball rightly celebrates Jackie Robinson’s debut as the first African-American major leaguer. But despite Robinson’s status as a civil rights icon, his impact on America was confined to the National Pastime.
Observers who see baseball’s integration as resonating beyond Major League clubhouses, claim it created momentum for furthering equality, and that progress toward equality would have been set back had Robinson been a bust.
As one historian put it, “If you break down barriers in one field, it directly impacts others…” Yet it is difficult to see how Robinson’s achievements eased racism’s grip.