Philadelphia finally issues public apology for racist treatment of Jackie Robinson

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Sporting News

Philadelphia finally issues public apology for racist treatment of Jackie Robinson

10 hours ago

After 69 years, the city of Philadelphia is finally apologizing to former Dodgers outfielder Jackie Robinson for its racist treatment of MLB's first black player.

The Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution Thursday naming April 15 as a day to honor Robinson and to apologize for his mistreatment when the Dodgers visited the City of Brotherly Love.

When Robinson broke baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, he was met with plenty of racist disdain. And it wasn't all in the South.

When playing the Phillies a week later in Brooklyn, many Philadelphia players taunted Robinson with racial slurs. Nobody's actions were more heinous than Phillies manager Ben Chapman, who initially threatened to boycott the series. He changed his mind after realizing not playing the games would result in a forfeit.


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Read more: https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/philadelphia-finally-issues-public-apology-224000090.html

[riversedge]

1. great to see this.

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Do they also apologize

for the fact that it has take SIXTY-NINE YEARS to apologize?

[Old Union Guy]

11. 69 years? Is anybody who was there and did this racist stuff in on the official apology?

Empty gesture means nothing.

[malthaussen]

3. "Former Dodgers outfielder?"

You mean they couldn't even get his position right? (Granted, he did play a few games in the outfield)

69 years later, the man himself has been dead since 1972, and the city "apologizes" now? WTF is that all about?

-- Mal

[happyslug]

5. What you expected Mayor Rizzo to issue such an apology?

Rizzo was mayor in 1972 holding the post till 1980. When not bombing MOVE, he supported beating up African-Americans. Rizzo may have still resented the fact baseball had been intergrated for almost 25 years by 1972.

[malthaussen]

6. Sure, but after Rizzo we had Wilson Goode.

Who, by the way, is the mayor who bombed MOVE, not Frank.

-- Mal

[happyslug]

8. I lived in the other side of the state at that time period.

You read about Rizzo and the MOVE bombing and the African-Americans and whites all said, yes we have problems, but we do not bomb each other.

[Dr. Xavier]

9. I became a second baseman because of him

and trust me, to all second basemen, he is one of our idols...

[BumRushDaShow]

4. As a note- Helen Gym is the first Asian-American on our City Council

and she was recently elected, so kudos for her for spearheading the resolution!

[FLPanhandle]

7. Not sure of the point of the apology

First of all, Jackie Robinson is long dead so who is the apology to?

Secondly, no one who did that almost 70 years ago is probably alive now either.

The people making the apology didn't do anything and were probably not even born yet.

I guess it was a sort of symbolic gesture?

[bluestateguy]

10. Phillies fans suck

and they may not be racist anymore, but they are still generally bad fans.