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The coincidence of dates made the scare great and the duel hit hard. In the midst of a historic boycott of the NBA in protest against racism, on the day known as Jackie Robinson Day, the pioneer who opened the doors of MLB to black athletes, died as a symbol of both struggles. A superhero performer who first brought a 100% black cast and a comic book movie to the main Oscars category has died.
At age 43, Chadwick Boseman, world famous for the role of King T’Challa in “Black Panther,” died after four years of battling colon cancer. A friend of some of the world’s biggest basketball stars, he also made a name for himself in the baseball world by playing Jackie Robinson in the movie “42,” the jersey number of the former player, who died in 1972.
Chadwick Boseman at the launch of the movie “42”, about Jackie Robinson – Photo: Getty Images
Let’s start with the relationship with baseball, possibly the least known to the general public. The Major League Baseboll (MLS) was created in 1869, four years after the end of the American Civil War, being one of the oldest leagues in the United States. It was restricted to white players, while blacks had to be content to play in the smaller and less prestigious leagues.
Georgia-born Jackie would break that barrier when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. His athletic prowess quickly became unquestionable. He played in six World Series and played six “All-Star Games,” being the league MVP in 1949. He was instrumental in making the Dodgers champions in 1955, a year before he stopped playing.
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Jackie Robinson was the first black man in the American Baseball League, breaking the racial segregation that existed – Photo: JR Eyerman / The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
But the quest for recognition was a daily challenge, both on and off the field. He suffered harshly the hostilities of the opposing fans and even the friendly fire of some teammates. But he resisted. And so it has become a symbol of the fight against racism in American sports.
Jackie Robinson was a Dodgers player and filled the stands with fans – Photo: Afro American Newspapers / Gado / Getty Images
Robinson played in the 42 jersey, which he named the movie in which Chadwick Boseman played him. The number was retired in 1992 by MLB across the league, meaning no other player can use it on any team. And on April 15, the date of Robinson’s first major league game, it began to be celebrated as Jackie Robinson Day.
Due to the pandemic, in 2020 the league was paralyzed in April. But the date is so symbolic that the league moved it to August 28, so it wouldn’t go unnoticed. On this day of tribute, all players can wear the number 42. It is a moment of reflection on equality.
Matt Kemp and Chadwick Boseman in 2013 – Photo: Getty Images
Robinson died young, 53, of a heart attack, four years before Boseman was born. The actor left even earlier, at age 43, after four years of fighting cancer. Even without living together physically, the two met through film and example. They were two vanguards in the art of inspiring new generations through representativity, taking blacks to white-dominated stages and enchanting crowds with their respective talents.
Over the past week, with boycotts spreading across different American leagues in support of the Milwaukee Bucks-led movement last Wednesday, baseball’s elite have added to this chorus reminiscent of their black roots. The New York Nets and Miami Marlins players stayed on the court for exactly 42 seconds and then quietly retired, without playing. All MLB games ended up rescheduled.
Chadwick Boseman receives tributes from sports idols
For those who didn’t know Boseman from his performance in 42, a movie released in 2013, the unprecedented role in “Black Panther” took him to another level of popularity in 2018.
He became the idol of a generation that asserts itself increasingly proud of its blackness and has plenty of success stories to reflect. He became friends with global sports icons like LeBron James and Lewis Hamilton, who today pull the huge line of athletes mourning the young actor’s untimely death.
A basketball fan, Boseman was a recurring figure in American league games. At the 2018 All-Star Game, with Black Panther at the peak of success, he gave Victor Oladipo the “blessing.” In the dispute for the best dunks, the Indiana Pacers player approached the actor from the crowd, grabbed a hero mask and saluted Wakanda before heading to the basket. Oladipo did not win, but the friendship remained.
Boseman’s last public appearance was precisely this season’s All-Star Game, in February. Then, with the pandemic, the actor became lonely and saw that the disease was getting worse. After shining so many stories that needed to be told, he rested.
He will be remembered as a hero without a cape, with black skin, capable of uniting sport and art with the search for equality and justice. It is a day of mourning in Wakanda and around the world.
