In 1997 major league baseball separated itself from every sport when they retired Jackie Robinson Number 42 across Baseball. The last player to wear number 42 is Marino Rivera and by season end there will be no 42 worn around baseball.

In 1947 America witnessed change from the most unexpected form of work sports. In the years leading up to this event America still faced segregation. Which meant for a black man where he went everything was separate from the movie theater to the bathroom a black man could not enter unless it said colored people. In 1945 Branch Rickey changed  the world when he signed Jackie Robinson to major league contract. At the time of this contract Branch Rickey was not looking for a black person who could not just play baseball, what he really wanted was the ideal black who could take racism to heart and not fight back and show what black man could do in a white sport. The news of the contract never became official until a year later  after he already was being assigned  to play minor league ball for a team called the Montreal Royals(Dodgers minor league affiliate) . During that year Jackie faced segregation and took it to heart when the dodgers  moved their spring game against the royals just because Jackie was a person of color and the stadium in Jacksonville did not allow it. In fact the dodgers had to ask several cities to host this before they found Daytona Beach the future site of spring ball for the Dodgers. When Jackie played for the Royals he hit 349 with 3 HR and 66 RBI. His average convinced manager Leo Durocher to call him up the next year to spring training and the Majors.

On April 15 1947 the Brooklyn Dodgers made history when they announced Jackie Robinson  in the lineup and became the first black to break the color barrier in Major league baseball. From that day forward Jackie knew he could not disappoint his team and future black people who look to play in the major leagues. During that season Jackie did the unexpected he won rookie of the year and helped the Dodgers go to the World Series. Two years later Jackie would again change the world when he became MVP and helped the Dodgers to the World Series.

At the end of his career Jackie would finish what most people thought a person of color couldn’t do. Since Marino Rivera has gone public about his retirement this year a lot people have realized that at this time next year 42 will never be worn again and that's  the way it should always be. Lastly when you look at Jackie Robinson he was man who changed the world with what he did and not with his fist and that is why he probably one of the most cherished players in baseball.