Friday, July 10, 2009

This Jackie believed

He was great on the field, but his "This I Believe" essay (recorded in 1952, re-broadcast this morning on XM's Bob Edwards Show) is even more impressive to me. Jackie, it turns out, was a pragmatic meliorist. Could any contemporary athlete write and deliver with conviction anything remotely so articulate and thoughtful?

"...I believe in the human race. I believe in the warm heart. I believe in man’s integrity. I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that the society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it—and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist.

My fight was against the barriers that kept Negroes out of baseball. This was the area where I found imperfection, and where I was best able to fight. And I fought because I knew it was not doomed to be a losing fight. It couldn’t be a losing fight—not when it took place in a free society..."

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