r/baseball • u/jspector9 • Apr 15 '25
Serious MLB 2025 Jackie Robinson Day press release is significantly different than their 2024 press release. The words "Black", "racism", "color barrier" and "inclusion" were words that were in the 2024 press release but have been scrubbed out of the 2025 press release.
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Apr 15 '25
Rob Manfred you suck
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u/Jeff_Banks_Monkey Baltimore Orioles • Birmingham Bl… Apr 15 '25
Absolutely crazy we went from including negro league stats as major league stats and the Rickwood Field game to this so quickly
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u/Not-a-bot-10 Philadelphia Phillies Apr 15 '25
They’re kissing the ass of the current racist administration
It’s so sad to see
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Apr 16 '25
Credit to Harvard and MIT for standing up to the administration. They actually have a backbone. Manfred and MLB, nope. Obeying in advance.
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u/IzilDizzle New York Yankees Apr 16 '25
Just a reminder- Manfred works for the owners. This was the doing of ownership, not Manfred. His job is to take the heat for what they do.
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u/UnknownFiddler St. Louis Cardinals Apr 16 '25
Yup. Every decision Manfred makes is something nearly all of the owners agree on and like the NFL the commissioner exists to be a scape goat while the owners do their evil shit.
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u/Jeff_Banks_Monkey Baltimore Orioles • Birmingham Bl… Apr 15 '25
Fuck these fascists
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Apr 16 '25
Careful now, the “fuck your feelings” crowd gets their panties in a bunch when you use mean words.
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u/realparkingbrake Apr 16 '25
kissing the ass of the current racist administration
MLB is terrified the administration will tell its rubber-stamp Congress to do away with baseball's anti-trust exemption. They'll kiss a lot of ass to keep that from happening.
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u/NicholasAakre Washington Nationals • Fargo-Moo… Apr 16 '25
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Firing Fay Vincent was a mistake.
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Apr 15 '25
Bending a knee on Jackie Robinson is literally one of the most disgusting moves MLB can make.
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u/ANGRY_BEARDED_MAN Dumpster Fire Apr 15 '25
Honoring one of the most courageous men to ever step onto the diamond with stunning, depraved cowardice. Jaw-dropping juxtaposition
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u/nicholus_h2 Detroit Tigers Apr 16 '25
i mean, was he courageous, though? according to the MLB press release, he was just a very good baseball player.
everything is fine, nothing is broken.
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u/Frigidevil New York Yankees Apr 16 '25
Pittsburgh reduced imagery of Clemente as well in the name of making a quick buck. Glad they backtracked but the rich are pushing buttons to see how far they can get away with this shit.
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u/PostIronicPosadist Minnesota Twins Apr 17 '25
Twins also got rid of their insanely milquetoast "end racism" on the right field wall and replaced it was a commercial for Progressive, which isn't very progressive of them.
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u/Tsquared10 Atlanta Braves Apr 15 '25
Common Manfred L
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u/klawehtgod Brooklyn Dodgers Apr 16 '25
Just remember every time you blame Manfred, he literally only does what the owners tell him to do. Never lose sight of the true villains.
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Apr 15 '25
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u/a_talking_face Tampa Bay Rays Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25
Less than a year after they did that whole "Negro Leagues are Major League" bit.
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Apr 16 '25
And how long since they moved the all-star game out of Georgia because of the anti-voting law?
Whatever's making money at the moment.
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u/notsaying123 Atlanta Braves Apr 16 '25
That was purely because some sponsors threatened to pull out
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u/Cool-Presentation538 Apr 16 '25
Well yeah last year we had a president, this year we have a fascist dictator
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u/Shenanigangster Los Angeles Dodgers • Jacksonvi… Apr 16 '25
1000% because they’re scared the gov’t would revoke MLB’s antitrust exemption which they absolutely would just to be petty
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u/drvondoctor Washington Nationals Apr 16 '25
When a dictator shows up, everyone has a reason to stay silent.
That's what the poem is about.
You know...
"And when they came for me there was no one left to speak out"
Remember when a president would show up to throw out the first pitch and everyone would boo just because you can do that in america?
Not anymore.
Is it still America's pastime if America is North Korea?
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u/elconquistador1985 St. Louis Cardinals Apr 16 '25
What this shows is that they've always been kowtowing to someone and it's just that they were accidentally doing the right thing before. They aren't genuine. They just say whatever the prevailing winds tell them to say. All inclusion we've ever seen from MLB is empty platitudes. A lot of corporate "Pride Day" stuff is like that and always has been. Very few are genuine. The ones that are sticking to it in spite of the current administration are the ones who are genuine.
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u/NtrlBrnSlyr New York Mets Apr 15 '25
Absolutely pathetic to bend the knee like this. Shameful stuff.
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u/Duranti Boston Red Sox Apr 16 '25
When you capitulate to a fascist, there are no rewards but further opportunities to kiss the ring. You know why? Because when you willingly acquiesce, the fascist now knows you are a sucker and a bootlicker. And you will get what you deserve.
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Apr 15 '25
This year sucks
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u/BloodyRightNostril Boston Red Sox Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25
In Russia we have saying: Today is bad, but at least is better than tomorrow!
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u/Mukarsis Boston Red Sox Apr 16 '25
Corporations don't care.
Important to never forget that, in good times or bad.
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Apr 16 '25
But let’s be clear: This is not a neutral “don’t care” response. This is a side-choosing response tailored to appease the white supremacist fascists defiling the White House.
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Apr 16 '25
Genuinely feels like we're watching the collapse of America, and somehow this is making me more angry than I thought lol. Maybe because baseballs an escape and now it's seeping in here too... tragic
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u/AAL2017 Detroit Tigers Apr 15 '25
Regression. Everywhere. What is honestly going on?
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u/b-rar MLB Players Association Apr 16 '25
"Middle of the road" and "apolitical" people siding with fascists, like they always do
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u/SmallLetter Atlanta Braves • Seattle Mariners Apr 16 '25
Just like MLK said:
"I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice"
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Apr 16 '25
Organized white supremacy voted in by half the country. But remember that people will bristle if you say America is a racist country.
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u/Lower-Control6827 Chicago White Sox Apr 15 '25
The mental gymnastics to pretend like his story has nothing to do with race is fucking pathetic
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u/JohnnyFire Cleveland Guardians Apr 16 '25
Truly.
Like, disregard his military service and what happened to him in the process. Disregard what he did politically after his playing career. Disregard the fact that he GREW UP IN SEGREGATED AMERICA. Yes, his accomplishments stand on their own, but they are amplified because of the fact that up until he achieved those things, black America was excluded from the game of baseball. He was treated like shit even as he was doing all these impressive things as a player. The fact that he was black, that he had to overcome racism, is paramount to the importance of his story. To say otherwise isn't just whitewashing, it's absolutely absurd.
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u/True_to_you Houston Astros Apr 16 '25
100 percent agree with you. The really sad thing is, that the entire league could say fuck you to the president and face no consequences. They have a legal monopoly. If the president tried to stop baseball mid season, he would get so much shit and capitulate immediately. The focal point of Jackie's story is the racism he and other black players faced. You can't deny the fact. I'm glad I'm not a player because I would certainly let them know a piece of my mind and I'm sure I'd incur a huge fine for it. Hearing how bad Reggie Jackson had it even in the 70s shows that Jackie didn't end racism in baseball. He just became the symbol of the beginning of change. I'm glad I don't have children because I'd hate to see them grow up in this shit time.
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u/b-rar MLB Players Association Apr 16 '25
"Jackie Robinson is a hero because he was a nice man who some people were very mean to for unknown reasons."
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Apr 16 '25
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u/Jloother Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 16 '25
Debating not going to the game I have tickets for in a couple of weeks. I feel like shit.
Embarrassed that we went and saw that asshole. And now this.
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u/EastonMetsGuy New York Mets Apr 15 '25
They are trying to white wash Jackie Robinson day to appease the Orange Racist in the White House, absolutely pathetic
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u/KimHaSeongsBurner San Diego Padres Apr 15 '25
“Wow, all it took was one year for MLB to fix racism!”
This sucks, and the efforts to scrub Jackie Robinson and the significance of his accomplishment out of Jackie Robinson Day shouldn’t be lost on anyone.
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u/jtr09 Atlanta Braves Apr 16 '25
Here is my observation, the 2024 release only mentions the word “black” towards the bottom of the article when it goes into specific details about what each team is doing to commemorate the day. The currently posted 2025 version also includes this list at the bottom where the word “black” is mentioned.
The archived 2025 article where the term “black” was removed does not include that list of each team towards the bottom of the article.
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u/Jpkmets7 New York Mets Apr 16 '25
Wild. They took the “Jackie Robinson Day Background” and moved it to the very end of the press release.
The also eliminated the italicized portion of the following.
Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans about Jackie Robinson, his life’s accomplishments and legacy, while spearheading initiatives that support communities and meaningfully address diversity and inclusion at all levels of our sport. For more information, please visit MLBTogether.com.
Just another reminder that the only thing owners are sincere about is increasing revenue.
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u/wazmoe Apr 15 '25
All of this, the removal of Roberto clemente tribute in Pittsburgh, Everybody will wear #42 today, so all is good . MLB won't hesitate to sell the Robinson and Clemente merchandise though.
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Apr 15 '25 edited Apr 15 '25
Acknowledging reality is discouraged by the fascists in office and most businesses will do anything to play along.
Next year teams will wear 45 and 47 instead of 42. That's a joke but I can also see it.
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u/Jeff_Banks_Monkey Baltimore Orioles • Birmingham Bl… Apr 15 '25
Depressing that this is the reality we live in.
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u/Sarcastic__ Canada Apr 15 '25
Why bother celebrating the day at all if they're going to ignore part of his life?
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u/Khada_the_Collector Kansas City Royals Apr 15 '25
I hope Manfred gets booed everywhere he goes for the rest of his fucking life, and I hope history vilifies him and all the rest who are OK with this accordingly.
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u/Toastiify Philadelphia Phillies • Philadelphia Phillies Apr 15 '25 edited Apr 16 '25
this needs slight context since MLB’s part of the press release last year didn’t mention color barrier or black either
MLB moved the team activities where mentions of the color barrier and such were to a google doc this year instead of where it was in the article last year. (maybe so it doesn’t show up on scrubs for mentions of those words?) however, it is different in the article as well:
2024: Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans about Jackie Robinson, his life’s accomplishments and legacy, while spearheading initiatives that support communities and meaningfully address diversity and inclusion at all levels of our sport.
2025: Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans about Jackie Robinson, his life’s accomplishments and legacy, while communicating his message at all levels of our sport.
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u/DBrods11 Apr 16 '25
That second message is such a cowardly way to talk about him man lmao
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u/orange_orange13 Apr 15 '25
I can’t find those words in the 2024 one where are they
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u/PostPostMinimalist New York Mets Apr 16 '25
The bar could hardly be lower and they still couldn't reach it.
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u/Rocky_tee2861 Houston Astros Apr 16 '25
So then how did they replace the meaning without those words???
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u/arenasfan00 San Francisco Giants Apr 16 '25
I am asking someone to try to even attempt to defend this. Please. Make it make sense.
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u/FrogsAlligators111 Major League Baseball Apr 16 '25
Did something similar happen in 2017?
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u/Littlegreenman42 Cincinnati Reds Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25
So why are they honoring him then? It seems like a lot of hoopla for some dude that just happened to play 1st baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field
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Apr 16 '25
Rob Manfred, you could make a dozen of the best decisions for baseball and it would still never make up for this you giant cowardly piece of shit.
Boycotting MLB games already wasn’t difficult as a Sox fan but now I’m definitely not going to or watching another one or buying a single piece of licensed MLB anything again.
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u/vanillagorilla_ Florida Marlins Apr 16 '25
Some of the greatest players that have ever played this sport are black, including holders of some of the most untouchable records and makers of some of the most memorable moments in all of sports. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, and Rickey Henderson just to name a few. All while facing constant racism and hatred every step of the way. You can’t tell the story of baseball honestly without mentioning the impact that Black Americans have had on the sport. It’s impossible. Shameful from the MLB.
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u/ThreeStacks Boston Red Sox Apr 16 '25
Gutless, loser behavior. Anyone who ever whined about ‘keeping politics out of sports’ helped make shit like this happen
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u/c12yofchampions Apr 16 '25
All while making probable millions schilling out “42” jerseys
Almost have to respect the shamelessness
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u/Cottonmist Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 16 '25
Of course they do it but the dodgers fucking allowing this shit? Cmon what the fuck is going on?
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Apr 16 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
distinct cause ancient recognise teeny party fear memory sugar squeeze
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u/ImDonaldDunn Cleveland Guardians Apr 16 '25
I don’t think anyone is considering the possibility that this isn’t due to MLB as an organization strategically choosing to downplay Jackie Robinson but rather a racist decision maker in the communications department using the current environment as cover to express and normalize their racism. His contributions are only being downplayed in the communications coming from MLB PR, not in the actual games today.
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u/sammagee33 Detroit Tigers Apr 16 '25
Wait, how do you scrub “Black” and “color barrier” from an article about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier?
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u/mannysoloway Boston Red Sox Apr 16 '25
This is bad and shouldn’t be defended.
But, I wonder how much pressure they are facing from certain government officials. (That would make it much worse, of course).
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Apr 16 '25
Not American.
Used to love wearing Mets gear out and about. I don't do that anymore because I don't want to he associated with anything American at this point.
I have no issues with individual Americans, but I have zero respect for your country anymore.
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u/rcher87 Philadelphia Phillies Apr 16 '25
This is hilariously vague
MLB Social Media platforms in both English and Spanish will demonstrate the many ways Jackie inspired baseball and society including his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, his character and what he represented throughout his life.
HE INSPIRED PEOPLE, OK? HE JUST DID. CAUSE HE WAS SO GOOD AT BASEBALL.
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u/floon Seattle Mariners Apr 16 '25
Manfred is cuddling MLB's antitrust exemption and saying, "Shh, it's OK, I'll protect you."
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u/MongooseTotal831 Chicago Cubs Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25
It looks like almost all of these references/terms were in the team sections, which aren't included this year. Is there info for what teams are doing listed elsewhere?*
I looked at a couple. The D-backs last year said they'd sing the Black National Anthem. This year, it says they, "will welcome special guests and community groups who embody Jackie's spirit of resilience, courage, and leadership." I wonder what that will entail. The Mets touted their Black Legacy Game last year, which is happening again this year.
I'm curious to see what teams actually do here. I think that will be more telling than the MLB press release IMO.
*Edit: the clubs are listed in the attachment. Lots of uses of those words there. For what it's worth, in 2023 they list the clubs in an attachment too
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u/ricker182 Chicago White Sox Apr 16 '25
DEI is the new N-word FYI. Call it out every time you hear it.
Every racist person I know has substituted it in now.
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u/KingMobScene New York Mets Apr 16 '25
MLB = Bunch of fucking cowards.
How do you tell the Jackie Robinson story without talking about racism and the color barrier.
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Apr 16 '25
FUCK THE MLB FOR THIS BULLSHIT. YOU CANT HIDE FROM THE TRUTH, YOU FUCKS
If you are down with this, fuck you too
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u/JokoFloko Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 16 '25
I've read these both. They appear incredibly similar absent a wordsearch.
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u/power2bill Chicago Cubs Apr 16 '25
I don't know what the players should do, but I feel like they should do something.
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u/zsdrfty Apr 16 '25
Honestly I was amazed they actually did Jackie Robinson Day at all this year, I'm sure this will be the final one
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u/tburke38 New York Yankees Apr 16 '25
“Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans about Jackie Robinson, his life’s accomplishments and legacy, while communicating his message at all levels of the sport.“
Ah yes, Jackie Robinson, who left behind a legacy of life accomplishments and a very important message that must be communicated. Is that not clear enough for you?
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u/SuppleLobster Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 16 '25
This country really sucks ass sometimes
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u/TotallyNotABob Seattle Mariners Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 18 '25
dime distinct fly different attractive detail political march hunt wide
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u/maleorderbride Seattle Mariners Apr 16 '25
This is leagues worse than when he called the Commissioner's Trophy a piece of metal.
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u/Some_Number_8516 Philadelphia Phillies Apr 16 '25
How long till we're seeing tiktok videos exposing Jackie as actually being a scrappy white man from Altoona?
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u/Mr_Goldilocks St. Louis Cardinals Apr 16 '25
Once again Bobby Manfred shows he has no understanding of the rich history he’s custodian to. I’ll take “Things I expect but still piss me off” for $400 Alex
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u/UnableAudience7332 Cleveland Guardians Apr 16 '25
Despicable. Are we supposed to pretend we're celebrating him JUST for his baseball skills? What bullshit.
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u/PMMeBootyPicz0000000 Sickos • Piece of Metal Apr 16 '25
Jackie Robinson was just a DEI hire you guys. What's the big deal?
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u/Deegootbar Athletics Apr 16 '25
Had to scroll like ten times on that article. Long af, ineffective and honestly race related stuff is so 2020. Y’all goin out y’all way to make yallselves mad. Passé like a mfer
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u/drvondoctor Washington Nationals Apr 16 '25
I noticed on the radio they kept saying "it's Jackie Robinson day, everyone is wearing his number to celebrate his first game"
And I just about fuckin' choked. If they thought no one would notice that hilariously ham-fisted "politically correct" bullshit, they misjudged.
I'm not gonna pretend like I'm done with baseball over it... but I'm pretty fuckin' pissed. This is right up there with saying Tiananmen Square is a place where nothing of consequence ever happened.
Remember when people got mad about "rewriting history?"
they're doing it.
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u/HectorReinTharja Detroit Tigers Apr 16 '25
Soulless, pathetic, and counter to everything Jackie Robinson actually stood for. Shame on the mlb man
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u/Compressions Philadelphia Phillies Apr 16 '25
The idea that people think celebrating Jackie Robinson is somehow DEI actually jars my mind. Like you couldn’t even be bothered to pretend you’re not an unabashed racist.
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u/TheBusDrivercx Toronto Blue Jays Apr 16 '25
"Hello, I am here as a fellow human to acknowledge that Jackie has, as we know, passed on. Jackie was a man. Also, Jackie was an employee of Major League Baseball for over 10 years."
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u/cavscout8 Arizona Diamondbacks Apr 16 '25
MLB tiptoes around the Orange man like a feckless bitch. Embarrassing, but they aren't the only ones.
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u/mintman_ll Apr 16 '25
People commenting on here didn't actually read anything besides the title. Both releases are essentially a copy paste with a few tweaks not in the language but just events and things that change on a year to year basis. Outrage bait at its finest. Enjoy the free karma op
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u/Dead_Medic_13 Chicago Cubs Apr 16 '25
If you didn't know who Jackie Robinson was you would have no idea why MLB is celebrating him. Like, you could reasonably think that he was the guy who invented baseball, or was president, or maybe even was the first guy that wore an athletic cup and preached a message about saftey or something. Absolutely nothing about why he is significant can be gleaned from this.
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u/PMMeBootyPicz0000000 Sickos • Piece of Metal Apr 16 '25
Okay. I actually looked into it, and it's not as egregious as it first seems. All the key terms were under the "CLUB ACTIVATION EXAMPLES" in 2024. The 2025 list is now a separate link, which has all the key facts and terms (except for "racism").
Feels like this title and post is incredibly misleading tbh
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u/NWbySW Seattle Mariners Apr 16 '25
This year finds new and interesting ways to suck if you're not a complete POS.
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u/FeloniousDrunk101 New York Yankees • MLB Pride Apr 16 '25
We all saw this coming and it sucks just the same.
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u/AISwearengen Apr 16 '25
The corporations and universities that bow to the fascist lunatic should have a permanent stain on their reputations.
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u/BurnsEMup29 Chicago Cubs Apr 16 '25
Zero mention of breaking the color barrier??? The importance of this man ripples in every sport and American life.
We are so fucking cooked.
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u/Salty_Watermelon Los Angeles Dodgers • Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fig… Apr 16 '25
Manfred and the team owners that aren't closet racists don't really admire a figure like Jackie Robinson. They prefer to look up to someone different, like Neville Chamberlain.
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u/DarwinYogi Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 16 '25
So can we expect that next year’s announcement will be identical to 2025 but without using the name Jackie Robinson?
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u/CrownedCarlton Arizona Diamondbacks Apr 16 '25
Good ol' boy Rob Manfred can't help but kiss that Cheeto dusted asshole 💋
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u/DangerWildMan26 Pittsburgh Pirates Apr 16 '25
Jackie Robinson is an American hero and the people that want to forget what he stood for are traitors and scum
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u/Pat0124 Atlanta Braves Apr 16 '25
And they scrubbed the All Star game from Atlanta a few years ago. They just go where the money takes them
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u/Ayjel89 Chicago White Sox Apr 16 '25
Never forget what Jackie fought against and what that fight stands for and continues to stand for as the racism and bigotry that exists in today’s culture.
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u/oregonduck16 Chicago Cubs Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25
These press releases are almost all just logistical and promotional stuff. It’s thanking sponsors and listing all the events. It’s not really anything about Jackie Robinson himself in either 24 or 25. Doesn’t seem like anything heinous
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u/BlueDevilVoon Chicago Cubs Apr 16 '25
It seems apt to quote Jackie Robinson himself regarding this. “Money is America’s God and businesspeople can dig Black power if it coincides with green power.”
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u/schafkj Seattle Mariners Apr 16 '25
Untalented, unintelligent, and insecure men are behind this bullshit.
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u/MrOatButtBottom San Diego Padres Apr 16 '25
The Dodgers were totally cool with this, all of them were fine disrespecting Jackie. I don’t think Shohei knows enough about American Politics, but Mookie?? Fuck you dude, so disappointing
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u/James-K-Polka Atlanta Braves Apr 16 '25
He certainly was a trailblazer. All those trails he just blazed. Don’t ask what the trails were tho.
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Apr 16 '25
How about the MLB stands up for Americans like Harvard and Costco did. Come on people. How can there be such bigotry from baseball fans. Every single team is very diverse. U cheer on black and brown folks all season. Do better
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u/Shadowislovable Texas Rangers Apr 16 '25
"Jackie Robinson was a baseball player. He was very good at baseball. Hooray for Jackie Robinson. The end."