[fugazi]

As a soldier, Robinson was prevented from entering Officer Candidate School until intervention on his behalf by fellow soldier, heavyweight champion, and personal friend Joe Louis, and was court martialed for refusing to move to the back of the bus. He would later be acquitted and served as an athletic coach for soldiers until receiving an honorable discharge.

It is a horrible shame that segregation kept amazing players like Robinson out of the Major Leagues.

[BroJoeK]

ping

[Bigg Red]

It is a horrible shame that segregation kept amazing players like Robinson out of the Major Leagues.

***
Yes, and racial segregation held back many with other talents, as well. I am a native Marylander, and I remember when the classified pages were divided into job opportunities based on “colored” or “white”.

[Michael.SF.]

becoming the first black baseball player in the Major Leagues

He was the first in the 'Modern era', not the first in the majors.

[OttawaFreeper]

I bought a copy of Peter Golenbock’s book “BUMS” a few years ago and one Jackie Robinson story from that book I remember very well involves the Dodgers doing a tour of the South during training camp following the year they won the Series.

That was when it was just him and Roy Campanella were the only black players the Dodgers had. Even though Robinson had been voted both NL and Series MVP (if my memory serves me properly), he and Campanella both had to stay in the team bus and eat there while the team stopped in at a few places in the South that refused to allow blacks to sit with white customers, therefore both men were not allowed to eat with their teammates. Apparently, Campanella took the whole thing in stride and ate away at his food but Jackie was made very angry at the whole thing.

[Michael.SF.]

There is another shame associated with breaking the modern era colored barrier, that being the decline of the Negro Leagues. From the 30's into the early 50's the Negro Leagues offered major league caliber baseball in dozens of cities across the country. Players made a decent living and the teams were primarily owned by other blacks.

150 former Negro League players ended their careers in MLB.