MLB Stars Pay Tribute on Jackie Robinson Day Outside the Ballpark

NEW YORK, NY – The novel coronavirus has turned the sports world upside down and among the many casualties both metaphorically and literally was Jackie Robinson Day. It is a baseball tradition that former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced sixteen years ago in which all teams would honor the Brooklyn Dodger on the anniversary of when he historically broke the color barrier in professional sports while trailblazing a path for future generations of athletes in all sports.

This year, however, is different.

There was no baseball being played. In fact, there were no sports being played at all and the coronavirus pandemic has in all likelihood derailed the playing of games in all four major sports leagues in April for the first time since 1883, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

However, that didn’t stop MLB players from paying homage to baseball’s most significant player.

Former New York Yankees and Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson donated 42,000 meals to local food banks to help with the coronavirus relief through his non-profit Grand Kids Foundation. In 2016, Granderson won the Roberto Clemente Award and is a four-time winner of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award for his exemplary community service initiatives off the field.

“Although baseball may be on pause, today is bigger than baseball,” Granderson said in a tweet.

New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano, who was named after the Brooklyn Dodger shared a touching post on social media.

“Without Jackie Robinson, none of us minorities would be playing the beautiful game we love today,” Cano explained. “My name Robinson, is named after Jackie. He is an inspiration, an icon, and trailblazer on and off the field. Today and every day, we honor #42.”

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher David Price Los Angeles Dodgers said that he was looking forward to this day since he was traded from the Boston Red Sox.

“Happy Jackie Robinson day! Eternally grateful for Mr. Robinson! I have been looking forward to this day since being traded to LA,” Price suggested. “Can’t wait to get back to doing what we love! In the meantime let’s just stay home and stay safe.”

ESPN insider Jeff Passan reported that Thomas Tull, who produced 42, the movie about Jackie Robinson’s life is donating $4.2 million worth of personal protective equipment to hospitals that serve the African-American community and others hardest hit by COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Major League Baseball dedicated a day filled with virtual Jackie Robinson Day activities with a special emphasis on social media and online platforms as clubs hosted roundtable discussions featuring current and former players including Tim Anderson, Dee Gordon, Lewis Brinson, Charles Johnson, and Cliff Floyd.

“He opened up so many different avenues for so many people – not just in baseball, but every other sport,” former New York Mets outfielder Cliff Floyd said on MLB Network’s MLB Central today. “It means so much to the communities now and understanding why baseball is such a great sport in the neighborhoods that I grew up in.”

The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) also announced the launch of the new “Jackie Robinson Day Virtual Learning Hub,” a platform to deliver educational programming to educators and parents for students in grades K-12, at JRLegacy.org. Divided appropriately by age groups, the programming will address different aspects of Jackie’s life and legacy. The Hub featured video vignettes of Jackie’s daughter, Sharon, as well as former MLB players (including CC Sabathia and MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds), reading excerpts of her book Jackie Robinson: American Hero.

"I'm encouraged by the progress of (baseball's diversity efforts)," Sharon Robinson, MLB's educational consultant and daughter of Jackie Robinson said two years ago in a press conference before the Mets honored the Robinson family in a pre-game ceremony. "We are seeing some of the programs producing players going into the MLB Draft from our academies and the RBI program."

Jackie Robinson famously once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

Given the outpouring support from the players and people he helped pave the way for, it is evident he was a transformational figure whose legacy will live on forever in society regardless of current events. Today was a day to remind us that there is hope after all even during these tough times.