The age of the internet is a blessing in that it allows for
the preservation of so many primary sources—the collection of video, audio and
written materials from our past. This is particularly important to baseball
history, where there is so much to keep track of.
On April 14, 1957, legendary player and civil rights
activist Jackie
Robinson appeared on a radio/television broadcast of Meet the Press, less than a year removed from his final major
league game. The Library of Congress has a transcript
of his appearance, which covered a number of topics. I will share some of the
parts I found most interesting, along with some of my own commentary in
italics.
When asked if he
thought baseball team owners were interested only in money and if they treated
players like “pawns and chattel”: “I can't say it is completely true, no. I
think in most cases many of the club owners do have the thinking of the ball
players in their hearts, but there are many, many instances where ball players
are moved around. What the answer to eliminate it is, I don't know.”
This may well be a
generous take by Robinson, who was traded to the New York Giants following the
1956 season after a decade with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The deal was never
consummated, as he elected to retire from playing in lieu of taking a position with
Chock full o’ Nuts coffee company. It is hard not to imagine that the ability
to control his own destiny and not take on a new team and a new challenge at
the age 37 appealed to him.
Speaking on whether
or not he thought the Reserve Clause was good: “If there were some other means to handle the situation,
I would think it should be handled, but I don't know of any other. If they didn't
have the reserve clause, when we came down to the last month of the season
where a ball club may need a good ball player to have them win the pennant, a
club with a lot of money who would only be interested in a pennant could, by
offering this ball player - if there wasn't some kind of a law to keep him from
it - a lot of money, and I doubt very seriously if the player would refuse it.”
It’s interesting, to
say the least, to see Robinson seemingly come down on the side of maintaining
the “purity” of the game over the individual rights of the players.
On whether the New
York Yankees and their money was stopped in any way by the Reserve Clause: “I
don't think that is the reason why the Yankees are so successful. I think that,
very frankly, a lot of ball players when they are young are very, very anxious
to join the Yankee chain. I think that tradition that they hear about so much
has a lot to do with it, and they get in the organization. I believe that is
what it is, personally.”
The popularity of the
Yankees was no doubt a factor in helping them attract many good young players
in the years before and since Robinson. However, it is foolish to overlook the
impact of their ability to purchase players—especially from second-division
teams who sold off their fledgling talent as a way to stay financially afloat. At
one point, the Kansas City Athletics were practically a farm team for the Bronx
Bombers. Hello, Roger Maris!
Was Robinson
satisfied at the time of his retirement over the place of African Americans in
baseball?: “Oh, no, I am never satisfied; let's face it.”
With three
major league teams yet to field a black player during a regular season game
at the time of this interview (not to mention the many other problems
associated with racism and segregation) there is little surprise here. Even
today, African Americans face unfair
and unjust challenges within baseball.
At the time of this
interview, what sport did Robinson think gave black athletes the least chance
at equal treatment?: “I
would say golf. In the over-all picture there are cases where Negroes are
allowed to participate in the golf tournaments, but in the great majority of
tournaments they are not allowed.”
This was obviously a
terrible question, with blacks in the throes of segregation in jobs, sports and
society in 1957. The fact that Robinson had to and could successfully identify
which sport was most racist is an incredibly sad commentary on the state of
things at that time.
Did unfair treatment
that Robinson received as the player who broke baseball’s color line contribute
to his supposed so-called “tart tongue and terrible temper?”: Oh, indeed not. Mr. Spivak (interviewer Lawrence Spivak), I
can say this honestly; things weren't as bad as a lot of people would have
liked to have made them out to be. I received very, very fine treatment in most
cases. So, therefore, my activities on the ball field had absolutely nothing to
do with the way that I conducted myself at any time.
Robinson’s reluctance
to back down to anyone was allegedly one of the attributes that made him a
desirable candidate to integrate baseball. Although he undoubtedly had his
allies and moments of endearment (although not all apparently exactly as remembered) there is no denying the abuse he took from those who wanted no part of him in the game. His
unflappability and not allowing individuals or their negative actions to change
his demeanor or how he conducted himself is a reflection on his immense
strength and character. These were hallmarks of his legend as a player and
person and helped him become such a titan in sports and humanity.
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You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
Jackie Robinson is one of my favorite baseball person
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