42 is a 2013 film about the first African American to play in the Major Baseball League, Jackie Robinson. The movie begins in 1945, when Brooklyn Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey, is searching for a black ballplayer to sign to his team. Rickey selects Robinson, who is playing in the African American league on the Kansas City Monarchs. One of the first scenes shows Robinson’s team being denied access to a gas station’s washroom because of the color of their skin. As Robinson leaves the gas station calmly, he is approached by a Dodgers scout who invites him to Brooklyn. Robinson is warned that he must keep his temper in check because the public will attack him for breaking the color barrier that had existed in the MLB. When Robinson joins the Dodgers, many of the players immediately sign a petition. Robinson is bullied throughout the movie by his teammates and by the manager, Ben Chapman. Chapman’s actions give the team some bad press, so a higher-up manager requires Chapman to pose with Robinson throughout many press photos. In Cincinnati, Robinson is booed by the crowd until one of his teammates, Pee Wee Reese, consoles him in front of the crowd. In a game versus the St. Louis Cardinals, Enos Slaughter “accidentally” spikes Robinson with his cleats. Robinson faced a lot of criticism throughout his career in the major league, but was able to keep his cool when it would have been very difficult for him to do. He inspired many, and changed hearts and minds. Robinson was challenging the One-Other relationship that had been established not only in the MLB, but in the country in general. The racist and violent actions that I mention in the latter are a testimony to how difficult altering that relationship is. I’d like anyone who has seen the film to think about how even in sports — where, in my opinion, the sole focus should be on winning the games — racism still penetrated so deeply. It is an attestation to how deep-rooted these racist ideologies were in the country only 75 years ago.
