Jackie Robinson Celebrated at Dodger Stadium
I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you about baseball and the Dodgers if it wasn’t for Jackie Robinson, so we always appreciate Jackie and what he’s done for us." said Matt Kemp.
Today, everybody is number forty-two. It’s a way for baseball players to pay tribute to Jackie Robinson.
The anniversary is getting special attention this year. The movie “42” opened this weekend, claiming the top spot at the box office.
Robinson’s daughter spoke about his legacy at Washington Middle School while discussing her book, “Jackie Robinson: American Hero”.
“You know it is pretty amazing to be a person that died forty years ago, to have him be such a historic figure that we can even reach middle school kids. But having Matt Kemp here also helps to reach middle school kids,” said Sharon Robinson.
Jackie Robinson Day will be capped off when the Dodgers host the San Diego Padres tonight at 7:10 p.m. The Dodgers have decorated the stadium in commemoration of Jackie Robinson, and the earliest arriving guests will even receive a statue of the man who broke barriers in baseball.
Some say creating a more diverse baseball game is still a work in progress.
“Major League Baseball is still largely run by a very conservative and very white and very middle aged to older group of people. So the vast majority of voices in Major League Baseball still come from a very limited segment of the population,” said Dan Durbin.
