other aspects of society because it is on a relatively fair playing field. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins the race, this can not be disputed. For Jackie, this was his only escape. It was hard for Montreal fans to yell and scream and shout racist slurs at the man who just won them the game. Over time, Montreal fans stopped mobbing him with scrutiny and verbal abuse, and learned to love him. They soon mobbed him with physical abuse; pats on the back, slaps on the butt, and even occasional “congratulation hugs.” In fact, after one game that was won by Jackie, the crowd needed to be held back by security guards as Jackie smiled and waved and attempted to budge through the anxiously awaiting fans. Jackie led the league in batting and led his team to win the Minor League World Series.# Life in Montreal was good, but would soon take an exciting twist. Because of Jackie’s amazing play in Montreal, he was moved up to the Brooklyn Dodgers of the Major Leagues in 1947. However, the transition was not an easy one. To begin his career in New York, he first learned the team he was to join had filed a petition to stop him and any other Negro from entering the league. Newspaper articles, television, and overall public gossip was primarily putting him down. They said he could not do it, and denounced the ability of a Negro to play in the Major leagues.# Jackie was back at square one. When Jackie stepped up to the plate, the roar of boos from the fans was heard in neighboring counties. Racist slurs like “Nigger son of a bitch” were often heard. Every time Jackie went to bat, he avoided looking at the crowd, "for fear I would see only Negroes applauding,"# he said. Pitchers would intentionally hit Jackie at the plate, and, because Jackie played second base, opponents would slide into him blatantly sticking their spikes high in the air in an attempt to injure Jackie. There were even numerous death t...
