Michael Jordan gave up a great basketball career to play baseball. Jordan had dreamed about playing baseball since he was a boy. What do you think?You are never too old to make your dreams come true.AgreeDisagree

True or False: The US Olympic team to first use NBA players was nicknamed the "Dream Team".Responses

Jackie Robinson helped to change baseball by:A.speaking out repeatedly against segregation in sportsB.boycotting major league games until they desegregatedC.refusing to join the major leaguesD.becoming the first black player in the major leagues

Dreams are beautiful. They go beyond your imagination and create a world so special that you start living in it. I was a dreamer once, so am I today. I still have the same dream that I once did as a young boy. The problem is that I grew but my dream did not. I always wanted to be an artist. I love colors, shades, the lines, and the smooth texture of canvas which gave life to what seemed to be a lifeless picture.     It all began in a boring math class. I never liked numbers as they never made any sense to me. For me, they never spoke a word. I started making ducks out of 5s and watermelons out of 0s before the math teacher caught me! The first time Mr. Potter warned me. But I could hardly sit through his classes. He caught me drawing once again in his class and that was it. My parents were called. Those days, they believed that painters and artists were drop outs who could not find any job. This was not the end. They told my parents that I would fail miserably if I were to take up arts. This upset them more than me. My father was a reputed professional and he expected me to become like him one day. He never understood why I could see ducks where others saw 5. I tried explaining it to him, but I guess he did not understand it.     “Those lines and shades you talk about do not exist,” he said. I did not understand where these numbers existed. He wanted me to graduate and take up a good job while I wanted to live my dreams. The fight went on. On a few occasions, my precious easel would be broken and thrown away. I had such a difficult time getting them. He was not like this earlier. He always used to get my favorite sketch books when I was young. I guess after that meeting with Mr. Potter, he changed into a different man.     “A few dream to fly, a few to protect the country and a few others to work in a decent job. What if I dream of colors and brushes?” I asked my father when I had the courage to do so. “Fly, if you want to, you will reach the sky. Protect the country, if you want to, you will make me proud. But you cannot take up what the drop outs choose to do. You cannot paint. You cannot make a living out of it,” stood out his words.     I wanted to get into the prestigious Sir Francoire Arts College and learn art, the way experts did. But there seemed to be no way to it. I later studied numbers and took up a job. I still live with the same dream -- To be an artist, to live, and dream like one!4Select the correct answer from the drop-down menu.Read the passage. Then choose the correct way to complete the sentence.The conflict between the narrator and his father creates tension about why the narrator did not .

Why do you think baseball wassegregated for so long? (Think of at least2 reasons)2. Jackie Robinson started in 1947, whatimpact do you think this may have hadon the civil rights movement of the1950’s and 1960’s?3. Why do you think baseball has turnedJackie Robinson’s start into an importantday?4. What issues of race have occurred inAustralian sport?

Jackie Robinson was prepped for the jeering and racial insults fans hurled at him. After all, it was 1947, and he was the first Black player to take the field in Major League Baseball since 1884. Robinson's arrival brought out the worst in many White Americans, from the inside fastballs thrown at his head to hate mail and death threats. But Robinson endured it all, keeping his eye on the ball and the larger objective of taking down the color barrier in professional sports.There's a story from early in his career that goes like this. Robinson was playing first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers during an away game and ignoring the familiar abuse, when fellow Dodger and all-star shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a White player, called timeout. He crossed the infield to Robinson and slung an arm around his shoulders. They stood like that for a long moment while Reese stared down anyone daring to fling insults at his teammate.The message was more for Robinson than the bigots in the crowd. He got it loud and clear, he said later. He had an ally in the infield, and not just any ally. Reese was one of the most popular players in the league and hailed from the segregated Southern state of Kentucky. By publicly embracing Robinson, Pee Wee Reese was telling the world whose side he was on.At the time, Robinson's rise to the Big Leagues was loaded with significance. The United States was deeply divided along racial lines, in some states by law and in others by existing economic, social, and police practices. A growing civil rights movement was gaining ground, demanding fair treatment, equal rights, and integration. But with the exception of boxing, segregation was the rule in professional sports, including baseball.Then came Jackie Robinson. His ascension from the minor leagues to the Brooklyn Dodgers presented a very public challenge to the United States' claim as the "land of the free," where everyone was treated equally. Robinson represented the promise of a racially integrated society. Many Black Americans felt they had a lot riding on his success or failure both on and off the baseball diamond.In his first year, Robinson hit 12 home runs and led the league in stolen bases. He was named Rookie of the Year. Still, he continued to find himself separated from his White teammates at hotels and restaurants. Opposing players and coaches shouted degrading names at him. Angry fans threatened him from the stands. Robinson had a fiery temper and no tolerance for bigotry. But he kept his cool and played hard and smart, despite the harassment."Plenty of times I wanted to haul off when somebody insulted me for the color of my skin, but I had to hold to myself," Robinson said later. "I knew I was kind of an experiment. The whole thing was bigger than me."Eventually, respect and admiration for him grew, especially as his exceptional play helped the Dodgers win—and they won a lot. His success opened the gates for other Black players, though it took until 1959 for every major league team to integrate.Along the road to baseball immortality and the Hall of Fame, Robinson and Reese became good friends, on the field and off. In some ways, when, where, or even whether Reese put his arm around Robinson to demonstrate his support is beside the point. And the story may be more legend than history. But it became part of baseball lore, a narrative of hope that maybe, just maybe, the country had a chance to overcome its corrosive racial history.Think about and discuss these questions:Why does the author include the story about Pee Wee Reese from early in Jackie Robinson's baseball career?What evidence supports the idea that Jackie Robinson represented the promise of a racially integrated society?TO-DONOTESVOCABULARYQUESTION 3QUESTION 3 OF 8 3 / 8According to the Article, why did Pee Wee Reese publicly embrace Jackie Robinson during a ballgame?A.Because he wanted to send a message to both Robinson and the fans that he was Robinson's allyB.Because he wanted to start a civil rights movement demanding equal rights for all peopleC.Because he knew Robinson's exceptional play was the reason the Dodgers were winning gamesD.Because he knew many people supported the end of segregation in Major League BaseballSUBMITExtras© 2024 Achieve3000 Inc. and its licensors.All Rights Reserved.