It's actually wild. There's literally no mention of why Jackie Robinson is important in the MLB press release. At all. Just that he "played his first Major League game on April 15, 1947."
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I know little and care less about baseball, being a Brit of Little Brain; but even I am aware of Jackie Robinson, how important he was, and why. Nobody can erase the memory and achievements of a groundbreaking titan like Jackie.
Why must you drag identity politics into the legacy of Jackie Robinson, famed as the first 28-year-old, Cairo-GA-born, California-raised four-letter high school athlete to reach the majors?
“Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans about Jackie Robinson, his life's accomplishments and legacy, which we will not be explaining at this time…”
MLB's Jackie Robinson Day website does still have references to Robinson breaking the color barrier and what his message actually was, though I'm sure those will be taken down once someone in the league office realizes it.
Here's the same section from last year's Jackie Robinson Day press release, where they have removed a sentence about "spearheading initiatives that support communities and meaningfully address diversity and inclusion at all levels of our sport."
Here's the thing about the needle MLB is shamelessly trying to thread here: You cannot "honor Jackie Robinson's legacy and message" or whatever they want to say while also running away from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts.
In 2023 and 2024, MLB's press release about Jackie Robinson day included sections detailing what every team was doing to commemorate it, coming out to 12 and 13 pages, respectively.
I thought baseball fans were all over things concerning first and most and longest? Racism beats ceaseless record keeping regardless of how oooooooohhh…I see now.
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Pretty typical Manfred TBH.
The word "black", "minority", or "African-American" isn't used once.
https://www.mlb.com/news/jackie-robinson-foundation-scholars-gather-for-luncheon-at-mlb-network
He’d just any other ex mlb player.
It's an insult to what he actually stood for.
The 2025 press release is three pages long.