In 1947 Jackie was drafted to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. This was a huge suprise to everyone. Jackie was the first black major league baseball player, official breaking the "color line." Black baseball fans stopped attending the negro baseball league games and started attending all of Jackies games. This was a big turning point for baseball.
Jackies position put baseball in a very mixed situation, some positive and some negative. Many of the Dodgers players complained about Jackie because of his skin color until Leo Durocher the manager at the time informed the team, "I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded." After then the team left Jackie alone.
Other teams though would not let Jackies color slide, no matter how talented he was. Pitchers often threatened to strike him with the ball when he was at bat. Other teams were very rough with Jackie and he often substained injuries. Racial slurs were often yelled out of dugouts to Jackie.
Some baseball players though were on Jackies side. Jackies teammate Pee Wee Reese once came to his aide with the line "You can hate a man for many reasons. Color is not one of them."
Hank Greenburg another Jackie supporter once told Jackie the best way to win the fight is too beat them on the field."
Jackie finished his first season winning Rookie of the Year.
