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Article: Baseball was segregated and later integrated for one overriding reason - money.(Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- April 22, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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LOS ANGELES The Big Picture in baseball for 1997 has been painted in black and white, looking like a grainy 1947 newsreel featuring Jackie Robinson dancing off third, about to steal home.
White, for baseball before 1947. Black, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of former Dodger Jackie Robinson becoming the first African-American in baseball.
But that's the wide-angle view. Robinson's courage, Branch Rickey's persistence, the value of integration and issues of race all demand attention today. But get closer to the reality that surrounded baseball 50 years ago, and still surrounds it today, and you see an entirely different color: green.
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