Jackie Robinson

I found an article by Hank Aaron published in Time Magazine in 1999 that talks about what Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier meant to him and  the impact it would have on professional baseball forever. It was a feature story about the top 100 most influential heroes and icons. The article was called "Jackie Robinson: He thrilled fans, shattered baseball's color barrier and changed the face of the nation". In the article Hank Aaron talks about the first time he saw Jackie Robinson as he was passing through his hometown of Mobile Alabama when he was 14. Robinson talked of segregation to the black crowd that came out to see him. Hank Aaron said a lot of people talk about a person who is bigger than life, but to him the only person he has known who truly was is Jackie Robinson. Aaron talks about how Robinson was bigger than all of the segregation and hate that was directed towards him. His perseverance opened the door for many more black players. If Robinson would have retaliated against a fan or against other players it might have set back African Americans from becoming more of a part of the game. Hank Aaron thinks nobody else could have put up with what he did while playing for the Dodgers. 

Aaron talks about how Robinson was different from some of his other heroes that didn't let the color of their skin stop them. He compared Robinson to Joe Louis. The only difference was that Louis was competing against white men while Robinson competed with them. Aaron goes on to talk about the steps Robinson took after his baseball career was over to get more equality in sports and in America. To Hank Aaron, and probably many other players and people, Jackie Robinson was one of the most inspirational people they could ever know.