Success breeds jealousy. The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the more successful teams in Major League Baseball, and as such, often incite jealousy and bitterness in other teams’ fans. This is unsurprising when one considers that when those fans watch a game between their team and teams like the Dodgers or the Yankees in New York, they can reasonably expect their team to lose. But the fact remains that the Dodgers have dominated the National League just as the Yankees have dominated the American League. They have won the World Series six times out of the eighteen times they have attempted it; no mean feat! It would seem they are worthy of jealousy and bitterness. However, it cannot be denied that the Dodgers history reveals many examples of admirable behavior, such as their instrumental role in breaking the ‘color barrier’ that made Major League Baseball impenetrable to many players who deserved to be a part of it.

Until about sixty years ago, a Black player could not be seen on the same ball park as a White player. Segregation was so complete that not one single Black player could be found on any MLB team. Black players had to satisfy themselves with the ‘Negro Leagues’. However, the Dodgers made a brave and groundbreaking decision in taking on a great player; Jackie Robinson, from the Negro Leagues. This decision would have brought them under excessive criticism at the time, as the civil rights movement had not yet made as much headway as it has today. However, this did not stop the Dodgers from making that first leap, and that is an action to be proud of.

That first leap was due in the main to the actions of the then General Manager of the Dodgers. Branch Rickey was a deeply religious man, who found it impossible to reconcile the notion that Black men be seen as unworthy of competing alongside White men on the field of baseball. This Methodist manager decided that the situation was ridiculous, and allowed Jackie Robinson to join his team. It is not irrelevant to point out that the Methodist Church went on to support the whole civil rights movement, and no doubt Branch’s religious convictions helped him in his decision.

In 1947, on April 15th, which today would mark the date on which taxes are due, Robinson played his first game with the Dodgers, marking a pivotal point in the struggle for civil rights. Robinson went on to prove himself one of the best ever Major League Baseball players, forcing America to see that players of all colors were worthy to compete together, and indeed, to exclude players based on race would ignore some fantastic players, and in fact prove a handicap to the team.

Integrated teams had a much wider pool of talent available to them, and segregated teams soon saw that they must change their views in order to compete. Segregation in sport is of course a thing of the past today, but came about through small but important steps like that taken by the Dodgers in 1947. They deserve admiration rather than bitter jealousy.

Author Bio: Ivan Jamison is a big sports fan. You can check out his Los Angeles Dodgers Watch or his Texas Rangers Watch or his Boston Red Sox Watch

Category: Sports
Keywords: Los Angeles Dodgers