Muhammad Ali and the top 5 culturally significant athletes ever

3. Jackie Robinson

Perhaps no athlete had to endure more negativity during their career than Jackie Robinson. Robinson has the distinction of being baseball’s first African-American star. While he is often credited with being the first African-American major league player, that is false because Moses Walker played six decades before Robinson. But Robinson’s influence is unquestionable.

When Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was booed relentlessly by pretty much everybody. The only reason fans stopped booing him in Cincinnati was because Pee Wee Reese, a very popular shortstop for the Dodgers, put his arm around Robinson in a sign of friendship.

Robinson faced a tough road because he was told that he couldn’t fight back for a year. No matter what racial slurs were yelled at him, no matter what was done to him, he couldn’t fight back or he risked hurting his cause. That was a task that must have been the equivalent of Hades for Robinson, but it was one that he wound up doing.

If it wasn’t for Robinson, who knows if Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, or Roberto Clemente would have played in the majors? Robinson’s influence reached beyond baseball, and it started the fire that eventually erupted in the 1960s. He is the only player in baseball to have his uniform number (42) retired by every team.

Next: 2. Billie Jean King