Jackie Robinson's Enduring Legacy: Civil Rights, Baseball, and the Future of DEI

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first African American athlete in modern times to play for a major league baseball team. When he donned number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became a civil rights icon who endured a great deal of abuse and whose patience was tested in every game during the first few seasons he played. After he retired from baseball, Robinson became more active in the civil rights movement. What would he think of the Trump Administration's policy scrapping DEI initiatives if he was alive today? Tune in to this episode of the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C. to find out.

Host: Mark Conrad Producer: Victoria Ilano Additional Production: Jeffrey Haynes Artwork: Pamela V. White Marketing: Michelle Miller Music: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Episode Transcript

(00:07):
Hello and
welcome to the Sports Business Podcastwith Prof.
C, the podcast that exploresthe world of professional,
collegiate, amateur, and Olympic sports.
I’m Mark Conrad, or Prof.
C, from Fordham University’sGabelli School of Business,

(00:28):
whereI serve as Professor of Law and Ethics
and the Director of the Sports BusinessInitiative.
Most baseball fans have learned
that April 15th, 1947was one of the most significant days
in American sports history,as Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier

(00:48):
and became the first African Americanathlete
in modern timesto play for a major league baseball team.
When he donned number 42for the Brooklyn Dodgers,
he became a civil rights icon who endureda great deal of abuse and whose patience
was tested in every single gameduring the first few seasons he played.

(01:12):
Each April 15th for the last two decades,
Major League Baseball celebratesJackie Robinson Day.
Every player wears Robinson’snumber in Dodger
Blue, regardless of their own team colors,
and all team caps have a special sidepatch with that number.
While he is honored –and his number 42 is permanently retired

(01:37):
by every MLB team – one wondersabout the future of his legacy.
The recent actions of the present administration do not bode particularly well.
It is no secret that the Trump White House
has inserted its idea of a woke agendaby attempting to scrub references

(01:59):
to diversity, equity and inclusionthroughout the government.
The Trump Administration’sactions made non-governmental institutions
fearful of promoting DEI and many
no longer use this lexicon.
In fact, Major League Baseball recentlyscrubbed references to diversity

(02:19):
on its careers’ web page,according to USA Today.
This comes at a momentwhen African American participation
in major leaguebaseball stands at 6 percent,
a slight increasefrom the 5.7 percent last season,
but still not much morethan the percentage back in 1955.

(02:41):
Even though MLB says it is committedto ensuring more diversity,
open advocacy of DEI initiatives
may be trickierin the present political environment.
To be fair,
some DEI programs have been subjectof legitimate criticism.
There is a fair question whether societyfocus on a race-based prism

(03:06):
for social advancement is correctand if so,
which groups are includedin the DEI standards.
When one asked the questionwhether professional sports
have created an environmentof greater inclusion
for different marginalized groups,the answer is not sure.
While MLB has reiterated that it has“no plans to scrap its development

(03:30):
programs and initiatives” despitethe political fallout from Washington,
MLB and other sports organizationsmay instead
want to consider expanding DEIto cover other marginalized groups –
based on background,socioeconomics, and status
so they can contribute to the sportand to society at large. In later years,

(03:56):
Jackie Robinson became more involvedin the Civil Rights movement.
But his views did not always mirror
the prevailing civil rights orthodoxy.
He became a corporate vice presidentat a Fortune 500 company.
In 1964, he co-founded FreedomNational Bank of Harlem,

(04:16):
a Black owned and operated bankcreated for the express purpose
of financially aidingAfrican American communities.
In 1970, he founded the Jackie RobinsonConstruction Company,
which sought to providehousing for low-income people.
As a member of the NAACP,

(04:36):
he spoke at the March on Washingtonin 1963.
However, he bucked the prevailingpolitical orthodoxy
by supporting Richard Nixon overJohn Kennedy for president.
While neither candidate’sviews on civil rights were ideal,
Robinsondisplayed more skepticism about Kennedy.

(04:57):
Kennedy admitted to Robinsonhe lacked any depth of understanding
about black people and Robinson’sreaction was shock.
“I was appalled,” Robinsonsaid, that he could be so ignorant
of our situation and be biddingfor the highest office in the land.”
With all this in
mind, I suspect JackieRobinson would be disappointed

(05:21):
to see the present administration’sviews on diversity and inclusion
and their effect on sports and society.
For the Sports Business Podcastat Fordham’s
Gabelli School of Business,I’m Mark Conrad, or Prof.
C, have a great day!