NPR: Jackie Robinson

Pentagon restores webpages of Black veterans, Navajo Code Talkers and others after outcry

Tom Bowman — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:05:21 -0400

A Pentagon official not authorized to speak publicly said its review to scrub websites of DEI content was too hasty and also used search terms like "gay," leading to the flagging of Enola Gay images.

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How these newly included MLB stats recognize the legacies of Black players

Wed, 29 May 2024 17:40:06 -0400

When Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, it heralded an end to racial segregation in professional baseball.

And even though Major League Baseball teams were integrated, official recordkeepers refused to acknowledge stats from the Negro Leagues – where Black players were relegated to for decades.

Author and historian Larry Lester is one of the people who has fought to change that for years.

He's spent over 50 years compiling statistics from the Negro Leagues. Now, that effort is getting recognition from the MLB, and Lester spoke to Ari Shapiro on the battle for inclusion.

Statistics from the Negro Leagues have now been incorporated into the MLB's records – and it's reshaping the history of baseball.

For generations, Black baseball players' contributions to the sport have been ignored. Now, their legacies are being recognized.

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Jackie Robinson statue was stolen from a Kansas park

The Associated Press — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:31:55 -0500

A prized statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen from a public park in Kansas, spurring a police search and outrage across the city of Wichita.

Black baseball players struggled long after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier

A Martínez — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 05:00:47 -0400

After Jackie, a new History Channel documentary, tells the stories of three of the Black baseball players who followed Jackie Robinson into the major leagues.

Opinion: Spending big on old game tickets

Scott Simon — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 08:00:59 -0500

NPR's Scott Simon wonders about the money collectors paid for ticket stubs: one for the 1st game Jackie Robinson played as a Dodger, the other for the 1st game Michael Jordan played as a Chicago Bull.

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A ticket stub from Jackie Robinson's majors debut sells for a record-breaking $480K

Joe Hernandez — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 13:00:06 -0500

It was the second time the record was broken in the same auction. Earlier on Sunday, a bidder bought a full ticket from Michael Jordan's 1984 NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls for $468,000.

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Opinion: The Greatest Athletes Know That The Children Are Watching

Scott Simon — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 07:56:39 -0400

As sports teams make visible their support for Black Lives Matter, NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the tradition of athletes speaking out on behalf of civil rights and social justice.

(Image credit: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)

Opinion: Outplaying Segregation, Negro National League Hits 100-Year Milestone

Scott Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 07:58:27 -0400

NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the 100th anniversary of the Negro National League as a response to segregation in major league baseball.

Opinion: Jackie Robinson was a true sports hero

Scott Simon — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 07:35:44 -0500

Seventy-five years ago Friday, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Scott Simon wrote this essay in 2019 for what would have been Robinson's 100th birthday.

(Image credit: Hulton Archive)

'Total Disgrace': Jackie Robinson Statue Defaced In Brooklyn

Mark Memmott — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 10:16:00 -0400

Someone scrawled racial epithets, a swastika and the name "Hitler" on a statue dedicated to the man who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier and his teammate Pee Wee Reese.