Today, April 15th, marks the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier.

Last year, honoring Jackie's 70th year anniversary of breaking the color barrier, the Dodgers immortalized Jackie's famous steal of home plate in the 1955 World Series by unveiling a beautiful statue. I have to place it first because Imgur mobile won't allow me to rearrange images. The browser on my phone won't either. Thanks Imgur!

On this day, everyone across the league- ballplayers, managers, coaches, and umpires alike- all honor Jackie by donning his #42. This tradition started in 2007 by over 200 players. Come 2009, all uniformed personnel wore #42 on April 15th.

After seeing Jackie play in the Negro League, Branch Rickey- the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers- chose to pursue Jackie and offer him a spot in his organization. He believed Jackie had the strength to persevere the inevitable abuse he would face almost every day. Rickey asked Jackie to turn the other cheek, and an offended Jackie responded "Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?"

Rickey replied that he needed a Negro player "with guts enough not to fight back."

Jackie finally agreed, and the contract was signed in 1945.

In 1946, he reported to Spring Training in Florida as part of the Dodgers’ minor league affiliate, the Royals. He was unable to stay with his teammates in the team hotel and the team, looking to train, was often refused by venues. The police chief in Sanford threatened to cancel games. Stadiums in Jacksonville were locked. He remained there for the entire 1946 season and was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player. Jackie was deemed ready for the Major Leagues and made his debut on April 15th, 1947.

Some teams offered to strike when Jackie and the Dodgers came to town. Hearing this, the commissioner of the MLB threatened to suspend any and all striking players.

Only 2 weeks after his first game, Jackie deems a game against the Philadelphia Phillies the “closest he was ever to breaking”. As Jackie was batting, Ben Chapman of the Phillies verbally abused him with slurs from his dugout. Among other nasty things, Chapman said Jackie should “go back to the cotton fields”. Branch Rickey later recalled that Chapman “did more than anybody to unite the Dodgers. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united thirty men.” This incident actually united many outside circles around Jackie, and the backlash against Chapman was so severe that he was asked to pose in a photograph with Robinson as a conciliatory gesture when the two teams next met in Philadelphia in May. This incident prompted Robinson's teammate Dixie Walker to comment, "I never thought I'd see old Ben eat shit like that."

Last year’s celebration of Jackie Robinson day included an official apology featured in a Resolution from the city of Philadelphia for the Phillies’ treatment of Jackie during his first year in the Major Leagues.

For all the disdain, Jackie was offered plenty of support by players and media alike. Ironically, Jeep Handley- teammate of Chapman- is identified by Jackie to be the first to offer him well wishes. Most famous of all was a line spoken by Jackie’s teammate Pee Wee Reese: “You can hate a man for many reasons. Color is not one of them.” Always a friend of Jackie, Reese put his arm around him in response to racist fans in Cincinnati during 1948- immortalized in this statue.

This is the steal of home which the statue in the first image of this post commemorates. Just imagine it's down here.

Seeing all of these players today wearing #42 is one of my favorite traditions in sports. Jackie was truly a hero for being the subject of such vitriol. Nevertheless, Jackie went on to win the MLB Rookie of the Year (later renamed the Jackie Robinson Award). He’s considered one of the greatest all around players of all time, and in 1962 was the first African American to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. On April 15, 1997, Robinson's jersey number, 42, was retired throughout Major League Baseball, the first time any jersey number had been retired throughout one of the four major American sports leagues. Thank you, Mr. Jackie Robinson.