"Ethnic prejudice has no place in sports, and baseball must recognize that truth if it is to maintain stature as a national game."

Branch Rickey

Branch Rickey was the only team owner who believed that blacks and whites should play together. He wanted to be the first to integrate, but he knew the first black major league player would have to have much more than athletic ability. He knew Jackie Robinson was the man for the job.

Jackie Robinson was a proud black man who had always stood up for his rights, but he had to promise Rickey that he would have to stop; otherwise integration would not work. He would have to take abuse and not fight back when he was cursed by players or booed by fans. At first, Robinson thought that Rickey wanted a man who was afraid to defend himself, but he realized that, "a truly brave man would have to avoid fighting."

Branch Rickey was the only team owner who believed that blacks and whites should play together. He wanted to be the first to integrate, but he knew the first black major league player would have to have much more than athletic ability. He knew Jackie Robinson was the man for the job.

Robinson's first year was hard. His own teammates tried to hurt him and people threatened to kill him, but he kept his promise to Rickey. His teammates slowly began to accept him realizing that, "he was the spark that made them a winning team."