Jackie Robinson, a hall of fame baseball player, broke through the color barrier in 1947 when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first black athlete to play in Major League Baseball in the modern period.
Prior to that, he and other African American sportsmen were sent to the Negro leagues, which were then lesser-known but featured superstars and an all-around intense competition that was on par with or even more so than that of the Major League Baseball.
When Robinson first entered Major League Baseball, he encountered a wide range of racist incidents. These included physical intimidation and discrimination, such as pitchers intentionally throwing at his head or spiking him with their cleats, verbal abuse and threats, such as when Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman and his players famously taunted Robinson with racial epithets during a game, and hotel and restaurant refusals.
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