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List of MLB Club Activities Celebrating Jackie Robinson Day 2020

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Jackie Robinson’s impact and his legacy extend far beyond the baseball field. He was a three-sport college athlete, politician, social activist, civil rights leader and philanthropist during his lifetime. With so many distinguishing characteristics, MLB squads represent Jackie Robinson’s success and sacrifice in many different ways throughout the year.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks will engage fans in a series of activities to celebrate Jackie’s legacy, including a new coloring activity, a D-Backs Jackie Robinson Day essay contest and a virtual proclamation from Mayor Gallego’s office declaring April 15th as Jackie Robinson Day in the city of Phoenix.

Chicago Cubs

This school year, Cubs Charities together with Educational Endeavors launched The Players’ Journal to give students enrolled in RBI Scholars a place to elevate their work. In light of COVID-19 and e-learning, the Cubs opened the opportunity to their full RBI league including a writing prompt about Jackie’s nine values.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox will commemorate Jackie Robinson Day with a special YouTube video playlist that showcases footage of the organization’s previous Jackie Robinson Day interviews and events.

On April 14, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson joined play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and a dozen young players from the White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) program for a virtual video discussion reflecting on Robinson’s legacy.

The White Sox continue to invite young fans to enter the 5th Annual Jackie Robinson Video Contest by submitting a video about an inspiring man or woman who helped paved the way for African Americans in baseball.

Entrants are encouraged to shine a spotlight on “unsung heroes” from the Negro Leagues who greatly contributed to the sport’s rich history. Videos are due April 27. 

Houston Astros

Houston Astros Youth Academy members will participate using social media to upload content of themselves demonstrating at least one of the nine values that Jackie Robinson represented while breaking Baseball’s color barrier, or what Jackie Robinson Day means to them. Academy members will write a short narrative to describe/accompany the content on any of the platforms they use.

 

Kansas City Royals

In honor of Jackie Robinson Day, the Kansas City Royals held Club 42, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, a webinar between front office associates and area secondary students.  

Eight members of the Royals front office from diverse backgrounds shared information about their positions and their path to the Royals with 42 local students from area nonprofit organizations. Highlights of the program will be shared via Royals social media on Jackie Robinson Day. 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day digitally, highlighted by a special Zoom player forum on Robinson’s legacy and his continuing impact on today’s game. The team will celebrate the day on all of its social media channels by posting current player tributes, game highlights from past Jackie Robinson Days and on-field highlights from Robinson’s Hall of Fame career.

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 Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins will look to make an impact in celebration of Jackie Robinson Day with various activities in South Florida. 

Drive-thru Food Distribution at Liberty City in partnership with Farm Share

The Miami Marlins Foundation, through the Home Plate Meals Relief Fund, has organized a distribution of meals, in collaboration with Ark of the City, for 500 households that will take place on Wednesday in Liberty City. The families will receive a bag of essential food items along with an educational pamphlet on Jackie Robinson.

Food Deliveries to KIPP Sunrise Families in partnership with Bridge to Hope

With Bridge to Hope, the Miami Marlins Foundation, through the Home Plate Meals Relief Fund, will provide home delivery of essential nutrition items to 25 KIPP Sunrise families from Liberty City dealing with food security needs.

Home Plate Kindness

The Miami Marlins Foundation will launch this new safe at-home volunteer opportunities program. The Marlins front office will take the lead, with select members participating in four (4) volunteer opportunities, while also providing fans with two (2) safe at-home volunteer tips via social media – in honor of Jackie’s #42. 

Connected to 42: A Roundtable Discussion with Marlins Players and Alumni

Marlins players and alumni will be featured in Connected to 42, a virtual roundtable conversation about the impact of Jackie Robinson throughout the generations. Marlins alumnus Charles Johnson serves as moderator for the discussion, which includes Marlins players Lewis Brinson, Jazz Chisholm, Sterling Sharp and Stephen Tarpley, bench coach James Rowson, and alumni Cliff Floyd and Juan Pierre. The exclusive event will air Wednesday on the Marlins’ YouTube channel – YouTube.com/Marlins.

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins will engage fans with a video featuring players, coaches and alumni discussing the enduring impact of Jackie Robinson on their own lives and careers, and on baseball, sports and society as a whole. The Twins will provide a series of Club-specific worksheets designed to educate children on Jackie’s life and impact – the “who” and “why” behind the #42 kids see in left field every game at Target Field. Videos and worksheets will be shared via Twins social media channels and at Twinsbaseball.com.

Oakland Athletics 

Oakland A’s outfielder Ramón Laureano will spend Jackie Robinson Day contributing to the community by providing meals from two Oakland-based restaurants to hundreds of healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center and at the Oakland Fire Department’s 24 fire stations.  Additionally, the Oakland A’s will honor Jackie’s legacy with various social media posts throughout the day.   

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day through community and media engagement, as well as honoring diverse business partners in their community: 

Community Engagement:

Meal deliveries – the Pirates will partner with Silver Star to provide over 100 boxed meals in the Hill District, an underserved black community in Pittsburgh. This effort will serve the families of Neighborhood Resilience Project and Macedonia FACE.

Financial contribution – Pirates Charities is making a $5,000 contribution towards the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and Koppers’ AllOnePittsburgh initiative. This initiative will put cleaning/sanitization products into the hands of those in the minority community.

Media Engagement:

Former and current uniform staff will be featured in stories and on-air interviews with local black media outlets (i.e. New Pittsburgh Courier and WAMO 100.1 FM) discussing the impact Jackie Robinson and his accomplishments had on their careers.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners will host a Jackie Robinson Day Roundtable, moderated by club announcer Dave Sims and featuring current Mariners Dee Gordon, Mallex Smith and Shed Long Jr. Mariner alum and MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds and Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, also will participate.  The Mariners also will feature social content throughout the day.

Tampa Bay Rays

During Black History Month, the Rays partnered with People Empowering & Restoring Communities (PERC), the City of St. Petersburg, the 16th Street Business & Neighborhood Association, community leaders and volunteers for a beautification project at the David T. Welch Center for Progress & Community Development, just south of Tropicana Field.

The project was planned in collaboration with community leaders throughout Tampa Bay in honor of Jackie Robinson Day and Robinson’s nine core values, including citizenship, commitment and justice. Additionally, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Rays Baseball Foundation supported Rays RBI Tampa and Burg Baseball with financial donations to continue and grow their respective missions.

These organizations provide free and low-cost opportunities for young boys and girls to play baseball and learn Robinson’s core values, such as teamwork, dedication and perseverance. Throughout the day on April 15, the Rays will honor Robinson’s legacy with social posts remembering Jackie Robinson Day celebrations of the past.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers will launch a local Breaking Barriers contest for members of the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy to provide an avenue for the youth to write about how they are incorporating Jackie’s nine virtues into their lives during these tough times.  Additionally, FOX Sports Southwest will rebroadcast last year’s game on Jackie Robinson Day, which featured a number of Academy athletes and stories. The Rangers will also be localizing posts on social media featuring players and alumni.

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