25 years after his number was retired across Major League Baseball and 75 years after he broke baseball’s color barrier, MLB Network is reminding fans of Jackie Robinson’s legacy in a new half hour feature.
Airing at 7 PM on Wednesday night, The Jackie Legacy includes several interviews discussing Robinson’s widespread impact on baseball and the country at large, along with the unprecedented decision to retire his number across the sport.
In new interviews, President Bill Clinton, iconic filmmaker Spike Lee, Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig and former All-Star and two-star athlete Bo Jackson discuss Jackie Robinson’s profound legacy on baseball, civil rights and society, hosted by Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Harold Reynolds. Clinton and Selig specifically relive the night MLB retired Robinson’s number 42 in 1997, marking the first uniform number to be retired across the sport, 25 years ago.
Here’s a trailer.
Jackie Robinson transformed not only baseball, but the very fabric of society.
Don't miss the debut of our new special 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚 tonight at 7pm ET. pic.twitter.com/iVndH1URW1
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 20, 2022
I got an early look at the feature, and while I appreciated it, I felt like it was just half of a more comprehensive feature. It barely scratched the surface of what could have been a truly comprehensive feature about Robinson and his legacy. Then again, maybe that feature is in the works somewhere, and this was just the toe being dipped into the water.
The Jackie Legacy premieres at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, July 20th on MLB Network.
