Jackie Robinson's Enduring Legacy: Civil Rights, Baseball, and the Future of DEI

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Mark Conrad
Hello and welcome to the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, the podcast that explores the world of professional, collegiate, amateur, and Olympic sports. I’m Mark Conrad, or Prof. C, from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, where I serve as Professor of Law and Ethics and the Director of the Sports Business Initiative. Most baseball fans have learned that April 15th, 1947 was one of the most significant days in American sports history, as Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first African American athlete in modern times to play for a major league baseball team.

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Mark Conrad
When he donned number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became a civil rights icon who endured a great deal of abuse and whose patience was tested in every single game during the first few seasons he played. Each April 15th for the last two decades, Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day. Every player wears Robinson’s number in Dodger Blue, regardless of their own team colors, and all team caps have a special side patch with that number. 

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Mark Conrad
While he is honored – and his number 42 is permanently retired by every MLB team – one wonders about the future of his legacy. The recent actions of the present administration do not bode particularly well. It is no secret that the Trump White House has inserted its idea of a woke agenda by attempting to scrub references to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the government.

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Mark Conrad
The Trump Administration’s actions made non-governmental institutions fearful of promoting DEI and many no longer use this lexicon. In fact, Major League Baseball recently scrubbed references to diversity on its careers’ web page, according to USA Today. This comes at a moment when African American participation in major league baseball stands at 6 percent, a slight increase from the 5.7 percent last season, but still not much more than the percentage back in 1955.

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Mark Conrad
Even though MLB says it is committed to ensuring more diversity, open advocacy of DEI initiatives may be trickier in the present political environment. To be fair, some DEI programs have been subject of legitimate criticism. There is a fair question whether society focus on a race-based prism for social advancement is correct and if so, which groups are included in the DEI standards.

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Mark Conrad
When one asked the question whether professional sports have created an environment of greater inclusion for different marginalized groups, the answer is not sure. While MLB has reiterated that it has “no plans to scrap its development programs and initiatives” despite the political fallout from Washington, MLB and other sports organizations may instead want to consider expanding DEI to cover other marginalized groups – based on background, socioeconomics, and status so they can contribute to the sport and to society at large.

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Mark Conrad
In later years, Jackie Robinson became more involved in the Civil Rights movement. But his views did not always mirror the prevailing civil rights orthodoxy. He became a corporate vice president at a Fortune 500 company. In 1964, he co-founded Freedom National Bank of Harlem, a Black owned and operated bank created for the express purpose of financially aiding African American communities.

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Mark Conrad
In 1970, he founded the Jackie Robinson Construction Company, which sought to provide housing for low-income people. As a member of the NAACP, he spoke at the March on Washington in 1963. However, he bucked the prevailing political orthodoxy by supporting Richard Nixon over John Kennedy for president. While neither candidate’s views on civil rights were ideal, Robinson displayed more skepticism about Kennedy.

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Mark Conrad
Kennedy admitted to Robinson he lacked any depth of understanding about black people and Robinson’s reaction was shock. “I was appalled,” Robinson said, that he could be so ignorant of our situation and be bidding for the highest office in the land.” With all this in mind, I suspect Jackie Robinson would be disappointed to see the present administration’s views on diversity and inclusion and their effect on sports and society.

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Mark Conrad
For the Sports Business Podcast at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business, I’m Mark Conrad, or Prof. C, have a great day!