Exactly 58 years ago today, the world changed dramatically.
A man named Jack Roosevelt Robinson played his first Major League Baseball game and shattered what is known today as "the color barrier."
Jackie Robinson went hitless that day, drawing a walk and scoring a run as the Dodgers beat the Boston Braves by a score of 5-3.
Many people don't know a lot of the specifics of that day, and of the 1947 season for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nobody except the die-hards will know that Robinson batted .297 that year, with 12 homeruns and 48 RBIs.
However, an interesting fact about Robinson's rookie year is that he did not play second base that season, the position that most, if not all, baseball fans remember Robinson playing. Rather, he played at first base, and didn't move to second until the following year.
In other words, Robinson won the first-ever Rookie of the Year award at a position with which he had little experience. He led his team in home runs and had the third highest batting average on the Dodgers, who took their hated rivals, the New York Yankees, to seven games in the World Series that year.
Every day of his career, however, Robinson faced rampant hatred and racism. He dealt with opposing players, managers and fans telling him he didn't belong in the major leagues. At times, even other players on his team would tell him these things. And Robinson was forced to sit back and take all the abuse without fighting back. That is why he was able to achieve the way he did.
Earlier this week, Indiana Pacers' center Jermaine O'Neal claimed that David Stern's proposed age limit on players entering the NBA draft was racist, and would unfairly target minorities.
Even San Francisco Giants' left-fielder Barry Bonds, who surpassed 700 career home runs last year, has claimed that the recent media exposure on his alleged steroid use is in some way racist.
I understand that these players have a right to say what they please. However, they are unduly embarrassing themselves by making ridiculous statements.
These athletes should take a look at the great men who came before them, stepping into the spotlight and facing real racism daily.
Robinson never once complained to the media about the unfair treatment he received. There was a good reason for that: he had to show not just that he could withstand it as a person, but that his people were resilient and deserved to join him in the spotlight.
Fifty-eight years ago, Robinson transcended baseball to open up the national pastime to blacks and other minorities.
The hatred that Robinson faced throughout his entire career was based on racism. He understood, however, that he had to be strong in order to prove that his people belonged in baseball as much as anyone else.
Today, Major League Baseball celebrates "Jackie Robinson Day." In celebration of this day, along with all the ceremonies and accolades, athletes should stop making claims of racism because David Stern wants to make sure potential basketball players go to college, or because the media wants to make sure that the person who will soon break the all-time career homerun record hasn't been using illegal substances.
Instead of players who allege racism every time they are displeased with a situation, they should look back and see that it wasn't so long ago - just 58 short years - that there were no black players playing major league baseball.
In celebration of "Jackie Robinson Day," all athletes - white, black, Asian, Hispanic, et al. - should recognize the exploits of Jack Roosevelt Robinson. They should be thankful that he was able to do what he did.
So instead of pointing fingers at every possible inequality in sports and attributing it to racism, today's athletes should take today to be thankful that Jackie Robinson achieved what he did 58 years ago. He made it possible for today's fans to see athletes like O'Neal and Bonds.
It would be nice this year, to see today's players understand how close they were to being kept from achieving their dreams, rather than try to further their selfish goals by waving the "racism" flag at every turn.
