"Without Rachel Robinson, I believe there would be no Jackie Robinson..."
-First Lady Michelle Obama
Jackie Robinson was one of my favorite athletes growing up. As a matter of fact, whenever my friends and I would meet at the local Houston County sandlots to play baseball, I made sure I got to play shortstop so I could imitate number 42 of the Brooklyn Dodgers. I bleed Dodger blue because I was such a fan. I've seen every adaptation of his life and career, even the not-often-discussed movie regarding his court martial.
That's why I was so excited to see the PBS two-part special yesterday (and concluding tonight) on the life of Jack Roosevelt Robinson and his humble upbringing in Cairo, Georgia to his athletic ascent in Pasadena, CA. It took an introspective look at his life as a child and showed some of the gifts that he displayed not on the baseball diamond but on the gridiron at UCLA. However, throughout his development in athletics and in the military, there was a consistent theme that is often overlooked as the epicenter of what made him a civil rights pioneer, and it's his wife, Rachel.
While I won't get too deep into the history (watch tonight's special!) you often hear people such as Jackie's mother and Branch Rickey encourage Jackie to marry Rachel before enduring what was a challenging endeavor of crossing Major League Baseball's color barrier in the 1940's. Rickey said something to Robinson during their initial meeting and I'm paraphrasing, "You'll want to marry this woman, because you're gonna need her." I agree with First Lady Obama that he needed someone to help him with this burden of being called the N-word and having watermelons thrown his way as he headed toward the dugouts.
Take a look at the Johnny Manziels of the world and ask, "Do you really think he'd be in this much trouble if he had a wife to go home to each night?" Mark Sanchez (now of the Denver Broncos) said recently that he thinks he will be able to be successful because he's single. That couldn't be any further from the truth. I'm not saying singleness is a bad thing (I did it for 35 years, and I much prefer marriage) but history has shown that the more stable your home life is, the better a person is able to perform on the field. Especially when you are a person in the public spotlight. You think that Bill Clinton wins the Presidency had Hillary walked out on him after the Gennifer Flowers debacle? When Sanchez throws 3 picks and puts up another butt fumble against Kansas City at Arrowhead, who's going to be there to console him when he gets home? His dog? His Twitter followers? That 3rd bottle of Natty Light?
Now, is this a public service announcement to get out there and get married as soon as you find someone who won't dip out of the restaurant before the check comes? No, but understand that in life you will need that special someone to support you when you go through the stresses of life. Life hits you hard, so who will be that person in your corner rooting you on? No one is an island unto themselves; even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!
So as you're watching the later years of Jackie's life, and when you watch MLB celebrate Jackie Robinson Day this Friday, take time to remember the lady in his life who took on as much of a burden as he did. They say that behind every great man is a great woman. I say, without this great woman Rachel Robinson, there would be no great man.
Got any special ideas or suggestions for future topics beyond the scoreboard? Follow me @JohnReidIV with comments.
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