When the matter came up for a vote at a meeting of the baseball owners, all 15 of the other teams voted against Rickey putting any black players on the roster of the Dodgers. Baseball Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler of Kentucky had to make a decision: does he play it safe and side with the vast majority of the owners? Or does it go with his conscience. When asked about the issue of race by a reporter from a major black newspaper, he had already responded that he was in favor of the four freedoms espoused in 1941 by FDR (freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear). The reporter and Rickey took that as a sign that Chandler wouldn't oppose integration. In addition, Chandler knew that young black men had just fought bravely for their country in WWII. How could their country ask them to risk their lives but not give them the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues? And then there was a spiritual argument. Chandler knew that someday he would face his maker and he might be asked why he didn't let Jackie play in the Major Leagues. He realized that "because he was black" might not be a satisfactory answer in the eyes of the Lord. It was in the power of the Commissioner to approve or disapprove of every contract of every major league player. Normally it was a simple pro forma action to approve. This time, it wasn't so simple. Rickey had waited because he knew that the first Commissioner, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, would not approve the contract of any black players and his stance was well-known. When Landis died in November 1944, Rickey started to make put plans in motion, even though Chandler didn't take office until the following Novermber. Rickey had scouts watching a lot of Negro League games and looking into the reputations of the players to see who had the right stuff to be first (although he signed a handful of other black players at the same time). In addition to Jackie's all around athletic ability and baseball prowess, it was important to Rickey that Jackie was college educated, had played on integrated teams in California (high school, junior college and UCLA) was a veteran and had done volunteer work on behalf of the NAACP. Rickey had waited forty years to redress this issue of racial injustice in baseball. In 1903-04, he was coach of the Ohio Wesleyan baseball team. His team included a black player, a catcher named Charles Thomas. He saw how Thomas was mistreated, including being refused hotel accommodations along with his white teammates (the first time at South Bend, Indiana, when they were going to play Notre Dame). Rickey vowed to himself that if he was ever in a position to do something about it, he woiuld. And he did. Rickey had the vision. Chandler had the courage to defy the owners who had just elected him, knowing he hadn't built the political capital or stature yet to get away with such a risk. (When his was not renewed in 1951, Chandler cited baseball integration as a major reason why. When he left office, only 6 of the 16 teams had integrated, the White Sox becoming the sixth only two months earlier.) Robinson had the talent to do the job on the playing field, immediately establishing himself as one of the best players in the game, and the courage to not fight back against the vile remarks, the bean balls and the spikings; nor was he intimidated by the death threats that were regularly sent his way. There is a fourth person who should be mentioned that contributed to the success of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line: his wife, Rachel. When Rickey concluded his interview with Jackie in the summer of 1945, he asked Jackie about any relationships he had. Jackie told him that Rachel was his fiance. Rickey suggested that Jackie call her because this was one of those times that a man needs to share with the one he loves. Jackie could not have picked a better person to be his wife. Rachel was a loving, totally devoted, intelligent and level-headed young woman. She gave him the 100% support he needed, plus the normalcy of a loving home to go to when leaving the ballpark or returning from a road trip, to get away from all the pressures of being a pioneer on top of the pressures every player faces to compete. And just as a group of players on the Dodgers (and even a few opponents like Stan Musial and Hank Greenberg) rallied around Jackie, some of the players' wives rallied around Rachel to show their support and shield her from the worst in the crowd.

Walter, If you're going to preach, at least get the man's named spelled right. It's Rickey - not Ricky.

Rickey did get a lot of credit, or at least he does now.

Old school etiquette. It was considered improper for a woman to stand up and shake hands.

So So Sad 😭 he was my Hero My Father loved him And so did I when I grew up a little more I was born in 1955 the year Brooklyn won the Pennant

Was your father Wally Bruner

Yep

I'm 31 and used to watch this version of What's My Line on GSN when I was a little kid. Your dad Wally was so awesome on the show. I especially loved when George Carlin was on the show!!

That is so cool! Just thinking of all the wonderful people he must have met.

That’s so cool. What was your dad like? Your father got to meet some legends on this program. Lucky man.

The 1970's version of What's my line sucked. But if you watch the show with Nat King Cole in the mid fifties the applause is about the same.

If this was WML 1950's he'd get a standing ovation, this POS was more than 20 years after the barrier was broken people forget stuff before their time How many people would recognize Tom Seaver or Franco Harris on sight today??

Maybe, how many would’ve known of him? Average ball player but brace and tough skinned.

They gave BIG applause for Aretha and Stevie

according to imdb 1969 November 20th

1969. Jackie was 50.

Jackie wasn't the first black MLB player