"A life is not important except the impact it has on other lives." -- Jackie Robinson
Today around the MLB, every player is wearing a jersey with a 42 on it. If you happened to catch a game, you may have wondered if the jersey manufacturers had gone on strike or if there was some freak mishap. After all the Nationals did, once, have to wear jerseys with 'Natinals' on it....
But no, the reason everyone has the same jersey number is to recognize the work of Jackie Robinson, who played his first game in the Majors 65 years ago today. Even non-sports fans know who Jackie is; the first African-American player to play in the Majors. Crushing the door open to all races and leading baseball into a more fair- and competitive- sport. The impact that Mr. Robinson had on baseball, sports in general, and the culture cannot be overstated. More importantly, we can all learn from his example, especially in today's interesting culture. What I want to do in this post is to examine his impact on baseball, especially with a sabermetric perspective, and then examine his role in society today.
