OPINION:
Friday marked the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s first major league baseball game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was a milestone for integrating the sport. It was a time when working and middle-class men and woman of all ages, classes, races and religions commingled in the stands, rooting for Robinson and his teammates regardless of ethnic origin.
Ordinary Brooklyn natives could ride the bus, trolley or subway to Ebbets Field to see their beloved Dodgers. Everyone could afford a bleacher, general admission, reserve or box seat. Hot dogs, beer and other refreshments and souvenirs were all reasonably priced.
Just as Robinson fought racism in the 1950s, Detroit Tigers Hank Greenberg had to fight antisemitism in his time. Robinson and Greenberg document the long-lasting relationship between African American and Jewish sports fans, standing together for decades in support of each other.
LARRY PENNER
Great Neck, New York
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