Daring Play: How a Courageous Jackie Robinson Transformed Baseball

Daring Play: How a Courageous Jackie Robinson Transformed Baseball — page 3
Before Jackie Robinson left moved up to the major league Dodgers Branch Rickey signed him to a contract on October 23 1945 to play with the Montreal Royals the Dodgers top minor league team Rickey wanted the first black player to be smart brave and able to withstand racism without reacting angrily The player might seethe inside but he would not respond to the taunts and discrimination he would face Rickey was sure Robinson was the player he wanted Yet after Robinson became a Dodger and usually managed to keep his feelings inside his self-respect and desire to win sometimes came to the surface When he spoke his mind about racial issues or the treatment he received some whites thought he was complaining too much Stepping to the plate or taking his position on the field Robinson often heard boos A sportswriter told him that the press and some fans disliked him because he was too aggressive Few white players would have been criticized for that or for speaking honestly about their treatment as Robinson often did