The celebration of Jackie Robinson Day is intertwined with criticism of the recent visit by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House, and manager Dave Robertsaddresses the issue and talks about the legacy, to put behind the commitment that as Major League Baseball champions they had to fulfill by being received by President Donald Trump.Jackie Robinson was the first player to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball 78 years ago with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Roberts addressed the issue, to praise his legacy and deflect criticism.
“We understand what this man did for our world, for our country. This is how you live life. For me, keeping his legacy alive is important,” Roberts said.
Dave Roberts’ reflection on Jackie Robinson’s legacy
On Tuesday, everyone from the Dodgers to Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Roki Sasaki gathered around Robinson’s statue in Centerfield Plaza hours before the game.
“One of the things that Jackie clearly got right is that he realized from a very young age that life was going to be tough,” Roberts continued to talk about Robinson and added: “He was special and he was put in this position to excel and know that it’s not just about baseball. It’s bigger than him.”
For Roberts, the current situation in the country motivates him to reflect on the legacy left by Jackie Robinson, for the hatred he had to endure, to persevere for the common good and concluded in his message that “he received it with open arms so that others could enjoy the fruit, and he didn’t even get to see it”.
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