How Jackie Robinson Impacted More Than Baseball

Clip: 3/17/2018 | 5m 47sVideo has Closed Captions

Jackie Robinson is credited with breaking the color barrier in Baseball.

Jackie Robinson is credited with breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball and faced years of backlash for it both on and off the field. Veteran Sportswriter Ira Berkow has written extensively about Robinson and joins us to explain how this famous baseball player dealt with portrayal of himself in the media and his role in baseball and the civil rights movement.

03/17/2018

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>>> FOR KEN BURNS.

IF YOU KNOW THE LEGEND, YOU DON'T KNOW THE MAN JACKIE ROBIN SOME COMING IN APRIL ONLY ON PBS.

WHEN JACKIE ROBINSON TOOK THE FIELD HE BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO BREAK THE BARRIER AND IT'S WELL KNOWN THAT FOR A YEAR ROBINSON HAD TO WITH STAND THE TAUNTS AND OPPOSING PLAYERS AND WHAT ABOUT THE PRESS?

HOW ABOUT THE WRITINGS SHAPED THE CONTEMPORARY AND HOW DID HE VIEW IT IN BASEBALL AND THE LARGEST FOR AMERICAN RIGHTS?

JOINING ME NOW TO ANSWER THIS IS SPORT'S REPORTER.

>> THANK YOU.

>> NOW, I RA HOW DID THEY COVER JACKIE ROBINSON THE FIRST YEAR?

DID THEY GIVE HIM A BREAK?

>> WELL, IT WAS MIXED.

JIMMY POWERS OF THE NEW YORK NEWS SAID THAT JACKIE WAS TIED UP IN SHOULDERS AND NOT ABLE TO HIT THE PITCHES.

IF YOU WERE NOT BLACK, HE WOULD NOT BE GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY.

AT THIS TIME IT WAS IMPRACTICAL AND IMPOSSIBLE.

THERE WERE OTHERS THAT SAID THAT THE NEGROS LEAGUE THAT THEY THERE'S SO MUCH GREAT TALENT IN THE NEGROS LEAGUE AND THEY'RE NOT BEING USE IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES.

SO THERE WERE MANY THAT RESPONDED AND THOUGHT THAT JACKIE COULD BE A GOOD PLAYER.

ONE OF THEM WAS BRANCH ROOKIE.

THE OWNER AND PRESIDENT OF THE DODGERS.

>> WE WILL TALK ABOUT HIM IN ONE SECOND.

I WONDER HOW THE MAJORITY OF THE REPORTERS.

>> THE MAJORITY OF THE REPORTERS SAID THAT HE SHOULD BE GIVEN A CHANCE.

A WILL THE OF THEM SAW GAMES AND BABE RUTH AND CENTRAL PAIGE AND SO FORTH AND THEY TOLD ME ABOUT JOE AND SAID THAT I KEPT THEM IN THE BALL PARK.

>> YOU NOW, HOW ABOUT THE TEAMMATES?

HAD YOU DID HE REACT?

>> WELL, SOMEWHERE NEGATIVE AND THEN GROWING UP IN KENTUCKY WERE POSITIVE.

THE MANAGERS TEAM SAID A GOOD PLAYER AND A GREAT PLAYER WILL HELP US WIN GAMES AND WILL MAKE MONEY FOR ALL OF US.

SOME OF THE PLAYERS AND THE SOUTHERN PLAYERS DID THOUGH THE WANT TO HAVE JACKIE ON THE TEAM.

WALKER WAS FROM BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

HE OWNED A SPORTING GOODS STORE.

IT WAS HIS FEELING THAT IF THE GUYS AND THE PEOPLE THAT WENT TO HIS STORE TO BUY FOOTBALLS AND BASEBALLS FELT THAT IT WAS OKAY TO PLAY WITH A BLACK PLAYER AND THEY WOULD LOSE BUSINESS AND NOT GO TO HIS STORE.

HE WAS APEZED TO JACKIE.

HE LEARNED EARLY ON THAT WHAT LEO SAID THAT JACKIE AND THEN THE DODGERS AND THEN THAT'S ONE WAY AND JACKIE SAID THAT'S YOU HOW BEST TO HIT BEHIND THE RUNNER WHEN THERE'S A MAN.

>> YOU GOT A CHANCE AND HOW DID HE ACCESS AND THEN HIS ROLE AND AMERICA'S HISTORY?

>> WELL, I THEY HE KNEW YOU THAT HE WAS HAD A BURDEN OF ERASE ON HIS SHOULDER BECAUSE AND HE WAS THE FIRST AND IT WAS -- HE GOT THE DEATH THREATS.

AND SO HE MADE IT IN THE HALL OF FAME AND THEN HE WAS A GREAT PLAYER AND HOME A HANDFUL OF TIMES AND THEN IT WAS THE STOLEN BASES AND THEN IT WAS THE NEXT AND A FEW YEARS LATER IN 1949 AND THEN IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE AND LEADING THE THE LEAGUE AND THE BATTING AVERAGE AND STOLEN BASES.

AT THAT TIME IT WAS THE SECOND BASEMAN AND SECOND BASEMAN ARE THE LIGHT HITTERS AND FAST.

JACKIE WAS.

HE WAS ALSO A CLEAN UP AND YOU POWER HITTER.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.