Wendell Smith was able to stop the first revolt against robinson
- Many death threats were sent to Robinson leading up to his first game
- Even some of the players on Robinson's own team, the Dodgers, even tried to get a petition signed that stated that they would not play with an African-American teammate.
- Smith broke up the attempted strike
"[Smith] thought Jackie Robinson would be the best choice. We agreed Jackie wasn't the best player at the time, but was the most suitable player. Wendell approached Branch Rickey first and got a promise from Branch to think about it."
1. "An example of the hate mail Jackie Robinson received upon breaking baseball’s colour barrier in 1947." Sports UpFront. Sports UpFront, n.d. Web. 12 June 2014. <http://sportsupfront.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/
robinson-hate_mail-238.jpg>.
2. Mayo, Jonathan. "Inktegration: Writers Lacy, Smith Played Big Role in Baseball Integration." MLB.com. MLB, n.d. Web. 5 June 2014.
robinson-hate_mail-238.jpg>.
2. Mayo, Jonathan. "Inktegration: Writers Lacy, Smith Played Big Role in Baseball Integration." MLB.com. MLB, n.d. Web. 5 June 2014.