As a life long fan of baseball I cannot wait to see the movie ‘42‘, the story of Jackie Robinson integrating Major League Baseball. If some how you have been living under a rock Jackie Robinson was the 1st African-American to play in the Major Leagues.

Over the past couple of years I have listen to several discussions talking about the impact of Jackie Robinson on both Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues.  While most look at Jackie Robinson’s achievements as a positive impact on society there are others who view Robinson leaving the Negro Leagues as the beginning of the end for the all Black league.  Robinson’s success led to the plucking of talent by MLB….

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

Without a doubt it was bad for the Negro League but the good out weighed the bad!

The integration of baseball dispelled the ridiculous notion that the Black athlete could not contest with the best White ball players.  While I can understand the opinions of those like Dr Boyce Watkins who correctly states that the downfall of the Negro Leagues destroyed Black business.  I cannot understand what seems to be a lack of respect for the impact of Jackie Robinson.  In a recent YouTube video Dr Watkins talks about not having the desire to see the movie ’42’.

While Dr Watkins talks about “ownership” in his video, in my opinion he ignores the ownership Jackie Robinson took in his own life by not allowing bigots and racists to tell him he could not be on the same baseball field as Whites.   Does Dr Watkins believe that if the Negro Leagues would have continued with Robinson that it would have had a greater impact than Robinson integrating MLB?  Only Dr Watkins can answer that question…

What I do know is that The Jackie Robinson story is a GREAT positive story in Black History and I will fully support it.  I prefer to avoid supporting trash like “Basketball Wives’ and ‘Love and Hip-Hop’.

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!