Essay example --

Jackie Robinson shook Major League Baseball forever by showing the league officials that African Americans could qualify to play in the MLB. He was a strong individual that was able to stand up to intense observation and confrontation. Not to mention he was a tremendous athlete. Did Branch Rickey (Jackie Robinson’s agent) make a good decision in choosing Jackie Robinson? Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson were two very different people. Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in a small town named Cairo, Georgia. He had a mother named Mallie Robinson that single-handedly raised Jackie and his four other siblings1. Jackie Robinson’s father, Jerry Robinson, had abandoned his family when Jackie Robinson was a very young boy. His family had grown up as the only African American family on the block, meaning they encountered prejudiced on a daily basis. This strengthened the family unity and may have been a major reason for Jackie wanting to change segregation laws. At a young age his family moved to Southern California, more specifically to Pasadena, California, a city only about 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Once Jackie was there he began to grow a love for sports. He attended John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College where he excelled in 4 sports, track, football, baseball, and basketball. He was named the regions MVP2 in baseball in 1938. He continued on and attended The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was the first person to win varsity letters in 4 sports. He eventually left UCLA before he graduated and went to go play semi-professional football in Hawaii with the Honolulu Bears. His season was cut short when the United States began fighting in World War II. He served in the United... ...ied, his wife created the Jackie Robinson Foundation that helps to give out scholarships and mentoring programs for kids that need it to get into college. It was dedicated to Jackie Robinson’s life and work. If it had not been for Branch Rickey choosing Jackie Robinson there might have never been African Americans playing in professional sports. There would have never been players like Michael Jordan, or Walter Payton, or Willie Mays, or even Lebron James. I think it’s safe to say that Branch Rickey made a fantastic decision in choosing Jackie Robinson to represent African Americans at that time. He was a calm, young, athletic man that changed the way African Americans are looked at. Let me end with a very inspirational quote made by Jackie Robinson that reflects upon how he lived his life. â€Å"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."4