Even though Satchel Paige is not as widely known or remembered as Jackie Robinson, Paige paved the way for African Americans on and off the baseball field.
First, "it was Paige who had proved during two decades of barnstorming across America and pitching in the shadow world of the Negro Leagues that white fans along with black would come to see great black ballplayers." This fact was one of the reasons that pushed Rickey, then president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to "rip down baseball's racial barricades."
Second, it was Satchel who, by proving himself and his team against "the best white big leaguers," brought the Major League team owners' attention to the Negro Leagues. This had a major impact on the Dodgers' decision to include a black ballplayer.
First, "it was Paige who had proved during two decades of barnstorming across America and pitching in the shadow world of the Negro Leagues that white fans along with black would come to see great black ballplayers." This fact was one of the reasons that pushed Rickey, then president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to "rip down baseball's racial barricades."
Second, it was Satchel who, by proving himself and his team against "the best white big leaguers," brought the Major League team owners' attention to the Negro Leagues. This had a major impact on the Dodgers' decision to include a black ballplayer.