Brooklyn’s Best or Another Chance to Save?

A movie that baseball fans and political activists alike could agree with and couldn’t wait to see when it hit the box office; 42 offered this opportunity and was a largely successful movie due to its appeal to many different audiences. Although this movie seemed like a great way to show the overcoming of many social norms of racism and bigotry during Jackie Robinson’s tenure as a Brooklyn Dodger, it took more of a stance that had traits of the “White Savior” trope with Branch Rickey’s involvement in making Jackie Robinson the first African American baseball player in Major League Baseball. Instead of focusing on celebrating the accomplishments that Jackie Robinson achieved during his MLB career, the movie took a more left of center approach according the Giannetti’s definition, challenging the aspects of racism in the 1940s and 50s while also showing Branch Rickey as the “White Savior” of the film.

                An easy way of being able to identify 42 as a movie that is left of center is by the willingness to showcase the racism and hatred for African Americans during a time of historic success of Americas favorite pastime. A good indication of this is when the Dodgers visitCincinnati for a road series (link NSFW). As the Dodgers take the field, there is a slight boo as the team, minus Robinson, run out to their positions. A young boy is talking with his father in what seems to be a peaceful and loving conversation. Once Robinson takes the field, however, the dad goes from a respectful human being to someone who deserves no respect from anyone. Almost like a light switch, hateful and derogatory racial slurs pour out of his mouth as if there’s no sense of right or wrong. The son, pressured by the mob mentality of every fan giving their own opinion of hate to Robinson, joins in by repeating exactly what his father had before. This idea that parents have a huge influence on their children and how they will act towards others is still a current problem that needs to be addressed further and I think the producers of the movie did a great job in addressing this.

                Another way that racism is overtly addressed as something that was a major problem is, once again, set in Cincinnati. The manager of the Reds, Ben Chapman, had harassedRobinson all game (NSFW) and would not give him any sort of chance to think for a second that he was going to be respected in the majors. Calling him every name in the book, Robinson stood there and took the insults one by one in each at-bat. There is a shining of hope, however, as white teammate Eddie Stanky stands up for Jackie and confronts Chapman. Immediately following on the next pitch, Robinson gets a base hit, his first of the evening. I believe this is the producers way of showing that when others stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed, good things can happen, and the bad guy will lose the battle.

                The last way that this movie takes a stance that is more left of center is its willingness to shine light on the “White Savior” effect. Branch Rickey was the president of the Dodgers organization and decided that he would be the one who would break the color barrier in sports. Throughout the movie he has numerous talks with Robinson, always instructing him to keep a calm head and never to act out of rage towards those that offend him. He talks with Robinson with a tough love demeanor and seems to always have Robinson’s back whenever danger comes. Although he does not receive the same screen time that Robinson does in the movie, he does receive a substantial amount of it and his willingness to be the person that does break the color barrier is evident in the beginning of the movie. I do not think that Branch Rickey acted out as someone who intended to be the white savior in history; I think his intentions were pure and he was a visionary of his time. He truly did see African Americans as people and what he did for the game of baseball should be marked down in history.

                42 was a movie that attracted a large audience and was successful in being a movie that not only praised the accomplishments of an athlete that opened the door for African Americans to pursue their own goals of becoming a professional athlete, but also showed the many different hardships that African Americans had to deal with on a daily basis in their personal lives. I believe that Giannetti would agree that the movie took a more left of center approach, challenging the aspects of racism in the 1940s and 50s while also showing Branch Rickey as the “White Savior” of the film.