*Yesterday (06-20-24), Major League Baseball made history with a game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. This game was significant not only as the league’s first at this historic park but also because it paid homage to the legacy of Negro League Baseball. Among the decorated figures in attendance was Reggie Jackson, the Hall of Fame outfielder with profound and painful connections to Rickwood Field.
During the Fox Sports broadcast, Jackson, who began his journey to greatness by playing for the minor-league Birmingham A’s in 1967, opened up about the gut-wrenching racism he experienced during his early days in baseball. Asked by former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez what it was like to return to the stadium, Jackson revealed the deep scars left by his time in Alabama.
“Alex, when people ask me a question like that, it’s like, coming back here is not easy,” Jackson began. “The racism that I played here, when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled — fortunately, I had a manager and I had players on the team that helped me get through it. But I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”
His response rendered the broadcast crew silent, allowing Jackson to vividly recount the awful moments that still linger in his memory. “People said to me today — I spoke and they said, ‘You think you’re a better person, you think you won when you played here and conquered?’ I said, you know, I would never want to do it again.”
Jackson went on to share some of the specifics of his trials. “I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and say, the n—– can’t eat here. I would go to a hotel and they say, the n—– can’t stay here,” he shared, visibly moved by the recollection. “We went to Charlie Finley’s country club for a welcome-home dinner, and they pointed me out with the N-word. ‘He can’t come in here.’ Finley marched the whole team out, and finally, they let me in there. He said, ‘We’re going to go to the diner and eat hamburgers. We’ll go where we’re wanted.’”
Throughout his ordeal, Jackson found support in his teammates and manager. He specifically thanked his Birmingham A’s manager, Johnny McNamara, and teammates Rollie Fingers, Dave Duncan, and Joe Rudi. He recounted how Joe Rudi and his wife, Sharon, offered him a place to stay despite threats from racists who warned they would “burn our apartment complex down unless I got out.”
The evening’s game at Rickwood Field was a celebration of the history and progress of baseball, but Jackson’s candid reflections served as a sobering reminder of the struggles that African American athletes faced, not just on the field but in everyday life. His brave recounting of these experiences underlined the systemic racism that was prevalent during his time and highlighted the progress still needed in society.
In honoring the legacy of the Negro Leagues and the sacrifices made by players like Reggie Jackson, the night at Rickwood Field became more than just a game; it was a powerful reminder of resilience, unity, and the ongoing fight for equality.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Swizz Beatz and Timbaland Criticized for Collaboration with Elon Musk
The post Baseball Icon Reggie Jackson Shares Harrowing Racism Experiences in 1967 Alabama | WATCH appeared first on EURweb.
