1 THE DODGERS BEGIN IN BROOKLYN The Dodgers are one of baseball’s oldest teams They joined the National League NL in 1890 The team wasn’t always called the Dodgers though And it wasn’t always based in Los Angeles The team began in Brooklyn That’s a borough of New York City Early on the team had many nicknames One nickname was the Bridegrooms The team was also known for a time as the Superbas and the Robins The squad was first called the Dodgers in 1911 The name came from a new type of transportation at the time Trolley cars roared down the street much faster than the horse and carriage Brooklyn residents were forced to Members of the 1916 Brooklyn Robins 4
Ebbets Field in 1913 dodge the trolleys So the team called itself the Trolley Dodgers or Dodgers But still it was not until 1932 that the nickname stuck The Dodgers had a colorful history in Brooklyn By 1913 they were playing their home games at charming Ebbets Field The cozy little ballpark made fans and players feel like they were all one big family But people began moving away from Brooklyn Attendance dropped Ebbets Field became run down Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley tried to keep the team in Brooklyn All his attempts failed So in 1957 he moved the Dodgers to Los Angeles 12 NL pennants won by the Brooklyn Dodgers before moving to Los Angeles The Dodgers date back to 1884 They played in the American Association another major league from 1884 to 1889 The NL began in 1876 while the American League AL started in 1901 5
2 JACKIE ROBINSON BREAKS THE COLOR LINE It was October 1945 The United States was segregated Black people did not have the same rights as white people That carried over to Major 7 Seasons in a row in which Jackie Robinson scored at least 99 runs to begin his MLB career The Dodgers led the way in signing black players Future hall of fame black catcher Roy Campanella debuted in 1948 Star black pitcher Don Newcombe joined the Dodgers in 1949 Newcombe won the NL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1956 6 League Baseball MLB An unofficial color line kept black players out of the major leagues Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey wanted to change that He watched Negro Leagues games Those leagues featured the best black players Rickey saw that black players could make his team better So he decided to sign a young shortstop named Jackie Robinson It was a big decision Many people wanted Robinson to fail That would THINK ABOUT IT Put yourself in Branch Rickey’s position Pretend you are looking for a black player to break the color line What qualities would you look for in that player Why are those qualities so important
justify the color line Rickey knew those people would make the transition hard for Robinson But Rickey picked Robinson for a reason He knew Robinson could play with the best and withstand the bad treatment And he was right Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947 That made him the first black player in the major leagues since the 1800s And he was really good Robinson batted 297 and scored 125 runs He even led the league with 29 stolen bases That earned him the NL Rookie of the Year Award The Dodgers won the pennant that year Two years later Robinson was the NL Most Valuable Player MVP Later he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame Jackie Robinson poses for a photo in 1953 7
