NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – This week marks the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1981, according to The Society for American Baseball Research, the league had the highest amount of Black players ever - 18.7%. Today, that number is down to 7%.
That means that although the league has come a long way from separating players by their skin color, there is still work left to be done.
On this week’s episode of Beyond Black History Month, listen as host Femi Redwood unpacks the history of America’s pastime and draws parallels between how Black players where treated then and how they are treated today.
Not only does she break down the history of the nearly forgotten Negro League, we get to hear from one of its last-living players too: W. James Cobbin.
“If you knew anything about the Negro League, money is something we never had,” Cobbin explained. However, he never cared about the money. As young African American man in his 20s, he just wanted to play ball. And because of that, the fact that the game was so segregated didn’t bother him that much.
“Segragation always pisses you off,” he said. “But when you're 20 years old, you don't quite know [you] internalize that kind of stuff.”
He adds that Jackie Robinson’s awareness and thick skin are why he’s still remembered today, “He had the right temperament to do the job. Jackie said that there wasn't a day in his whole career that he didn't want to quit, but he knew what he had to do: endure abuse and play a good game.”
Jackie Robinson Day is celebrated on April 15th.