FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2013
MLB TO HONOR JACKIE ROBINSON WITH LEAGUE-WIDE TRIBUTE
AND PROGRAMMING SURROUNDING JACKIE ROBINSON DAY
All Players to Once Again Wear Number 42 on April 15th with
Clubs Hosting On-field Ceremonies at Ballparks
MLB Network to Air Special Episode of Studio 42 with Bob Costas featuring
Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, the stars of the new movie “42,”
And Dodgers Legend Don Newcombe
MLB will Host Two Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Clinics in Los Angeles and Anaheim;
And Sharon Robinson to Visit Father’s School in Pasadena
Major League Baseball will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Monday, April 15, 2013 to honor the legacy
of the legendary Hall of Famer and, for the fifth consecutive year, all players and on-field personnel will
wear Number 42. The annual celebration to commemorate the 66th anniversary of Robinson breaking
Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 will feature youth-focused events and on-field, pre-game ceremonies in
ballparks throughout the League, including a special celebration featuring the Robinson family at Dodger
Stadium. Any Clubs with off-days on April 15th will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Tuesday, April 16th.
Additionally, MLB Network will air a special episode of Studio 42 with Bob Costas
featuring Dodgers Legend Don Newcombe and the stars of “42,” Chadwick
Boseman and Harrison Ford. The film opens nationwide on Friday, April 12th.
MLB will hold two clinics for Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) for youth from
the Greater Los Angeles area, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim (Saturday, April 13th) and
Dodger Stadium (Sunday, April 14th), featuring Angels and Dodgers alumni. Sharon
Robinson (Jackie’s daughter, author, MLB Educational Programming Consultant and Vice Chair of the Jackie
Robinson Foundation) also will visit students at a school attended by her father – Washington Middle School
in Pasadena – on the morning of April 15th to discuss her new book and the Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In
Life program.
“Jackie Robinson running onto Ebbets Field is not only the most important and powerful moment in
Baseball history, but it also changed the course of American history,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H.
(Bud) Selig. “Jackie’s courage and perseverance made it possible for African Americans and players of all
races and ethnicities to compete on the same field.”
“We are delighted once again to take part in the commemoration recognizing my husband’s barrier
breaking achievements made some 66 years ago," said Rachel Robinson, wife of Jackie Robinson. "We are
particularly proud that through the efforts of MLB and the movie “42,” a new generation will not only learn
about Jack, but it will also spark them to think about what they can do in their lives to make significant
differences in their own communities.”
REVIVING BASEBALL IN INNER CITIES (RBI) IN GREATER LOS ANGELES
On Saturday, April 13th, and Sunday, April 14th, Major League Baseball will host two baseball and softball
clinics for local Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) youth from the Greater Los Angeles area. Angel
Stadium of Anaheim, the home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, will be the site of Saturday’s clinic for
250 boys and girls from Angels RBI. That clinic will feature Hall of Famer Rod Carew, Angels outfielder J.B.
Shuck, Angels bullpen coach Steve Soliz and Sharon Robinson. This clinic also will be administered by
the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.
On Sunday, 250 kids from Los Angeles-area RBI programs will head to Dodger Stadium, the home of the
Los Angeles Dodgers, to be coached by Dodger alumni Maury Wills, Tommy Davis, Al Downing, Kenny
Landreaux, Lou Johnson, Dennis Powell and Derrel Thomas. The clinics also will feature appearances
by MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Development and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, Dodgers
legend and 1956 National League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award Winner Don Newcombe, and
Sharon Robinson. This clinic also will be administered by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.
Major League Baseball will present two private screening of the film “42” for participants of Angels RBI
and several Los Angeles-area RBI programs. Saturday’s screening will be held at Rave Cinemas 15 in the
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, and Sunday’s will be at AMC Orange 30 in Orange, CA. The film
stars Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson and Academy Award® nominee Harrison Ford as Dodger
General Manager Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who signed Jackie to the team. Presented
by Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, “42” is written and directed by Academy Award® winner
Brian Helgeland and is a Legendary Pictures Production.
The RBI program is the MLB youth initiative designed to give young people from underserved
communities the opportunity to play baseball and softball, encourage academic success and teach the value
of teamwork and other important life lessons.
MLB NETWORK PROGRAMMING
MLB Network will air a special episode of Studio 42 with Bob Costas featuring Don Newcombe, who is
joined by Harrison Ford and Chadwick Boseman, to discuss Newcombe’s former teammate Jackie Robinson
and the new movie about Robinson’s breaking baseball’s color barrier, “42.” The episode will air on
Saturday, April 13th, at 4:00 p.m. ET and on Sunday, April 14th, at 10:00 p.m. ET. In the show, taped at
Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last week, Newcombe comments on Robinson both on and off the baseball
diamond, while Boseman, who portrays Robinson, and Ford, who plays Dodgers general manager Branch
Rickey, talk about what drew them to the film and how they prepared to play such larger-than-life
characters. Boseman details his Spring Training-like practices and Ford describes studying Rickey’s
mannerisms by watching his appearance on an episode of the game show “What’s My Line?” in 1959.
SHARON ROBINSON VISITING WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
On the morning of Jackie Robinson Day, Jackie’s daughter, Sharon, will visit the students of Washington
Middle School in Pasadena to discuss her new book, “Jackie Robinson: American Hero,” and the Breaking
Barriers: In Sports, In Life program. Jackie Robinson attended Washington Middle School (then Washington
Junior High School) as a young man. The school is participating in a special Breaking Barriers essay contest
where one student will be presented with a special gift by Sharon.
The Breaking Barriers program features an essay contest that recognizes students for their efforts to
overcome personal barriers using the values exemplified by Jackie Robinson. Breaking Barriers was
developed by Major League Baseball, Sharon Robinson, and Scholastic, the global children’s publishing,
education, and media company. Since its inception in 1997, Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life has reached
more than 22 million children and 2.9 million educators in the continental United States, Canada and Puerto
Rico. The Breaking Barriers essay contest asks students in grades four through nine to submit an essay
about barriers or obstacles they have faced or are still facing in their lives, and how they overcame those
obstacles using the values demonstrated by Jackie Robinson: commitment, citizenship, courage,
determination, excellence, justice, persistence, teamwork, and integrity. Major League Baseball and Sharon
Robinson will announce the winners of the 2013 Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life Essay Contest on Jackie
Robinson Day. Following the official announcement, Sharon will visit select winners’ schools to personally
congratulate and recognize them.
JACKIE ROBINSON DAY BALLPARK ACTIVITY
All Clubs playing at home on Monday, April 15th (or Tuesday, April 16th, if off on Monday) will
commemorate Jackie Robinson Day with special on-field, pre-game ceremonies in their ballparks. Home
Clubs will feature Jackie Robinson Day jeweled bases and lineup cards, and a special video will be shown instadium highlighting Jackie’s story and nine values. Clubs not playing at home on April 15th or April 16th will
hold Jackie Robinson Day celebrations at their ballparks during another homestand later in the month. The
Robinson family will join MLB in a special Jackie Robinson Day celebration at Dodger Stadium. The ceremony
will include Rachel, Sharon, and David Robinson (Jackie’s son).
JACKIE ROBINSON DAY NATIONAL BROADCAST
ESPN will televise the April 15th game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds at Great
American Ball Park at 7:10 p.m. EST.
SPECIAL MLB.COM AUCTION TO BENEFIT THE JACKIE ROBINSON FOUNDATION
One Number 42 jersey from each Club will be signed and auctioned-off on MLB.com, with the proceeds
benefitting the Jackie Robinson Foundation. The Foundation, established in 1973, provides four-year college
scholarships, graduate school grants and extensive mentoring to a diverse group of academically
distinguished students with leadership potential. The Foundation strives to cultivate future leaders who will
be ambassadors of Jackie Robinson’s guiding life tenet, “A life is not important except in its impact on other
lives.” Major League Baseball and its Clubs are longstanding supporters of the Jackie Robinson Foundation,
and currently sponsor more than 80 Jackie Robinson Scholars.
MLB.COM DIGITAL SUPPORT – Iam42.com
MLB.com has redesigned Iam42.com to be a custom Instagram page where fans can share their
thoughts and photos in support of Jackie Robinson Day, including using the hashtag #Jackie42 to unify the
league-wide commemorations. MLB.com will have complete coverage of the events at each Major League
ballpark with photographs, video highlights and interviews and stories from its Club beat and national
reporters, including Meggie Zahneis, the 2011 Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life Grand Prize Essay Winner
who earned a breakthrough job at MLB.com. Additionally, MLB.com will support Jackie Robinson Day events
across MLB.com, Cut4.com, and social media platforms including Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram.
JACKIE ROBINSON DAY BACKGROUND
Robinson played his first Major League game at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 as a first baseman for
the Brooklyn Dodgers. Commissioner Selig and MLB have celebrated Robinson’s legacy in a unified, Leaguewide show of support for many years, including retiring his number throughout the League in 1997,
dedicating April 15th as Jackie Robinson Day each year since 2004, and requesting that every player and all
on-field personnel wear his Number 42 during games scheduled on Jackie Robinson Day since 2009.
Major League Baseball aims to educate all fans about Jackie Robinson, his life’s accomplishments and his
legacy through the RBI program, Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life, and other initiatives, including Diverse
Business Partners and the MLB Urban Youth Academies. For more information, please visit
MLBCommunity.org.
###
Contact: Matt Bourne or Steve Arocho, Major League Baseball, (212) 931-7878, @MLB_PR