Back in January, a statue of former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers legend and MLB icon Jackie Robinson was stolen and vandalized in Wichita, Kansas.
A great athlete and even better human being, Robinson had an immense impact on not only the game of baseball, but as society as a whole as a key civil rights leader.
The city of Wichita, like many other places across the country, had honored Robinson with an effigy at McAdams Park before it was cut down from its resting place and found later burning and dismantled in a trashcan.
The league that calls McAdams Park home, League 42, is comprised of a large contingent of the underserved community in Wichita. Seeing an opportunity to grow the game and do some good, MLB has placed a large emphasis on serving these communities since 2006 with their first Urban Youth Academy in Compton.
It is therefore no surprise that MLB jumped at the opportunity to help the rebuilding efforts, League 42 founder Bob Lutz said via Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com:
Lutz’s goals with League 42 dovetail nicely with MLB’s commitment to growing the game among underserved youth. That’s why there was no hesitation among MLB owners to donate $100,000 to the league to fund a new statue and security and lighting around it.
Those funds, in addition to the $194,780 that was raised by the public on GoFundMe, surpassing the original goal of $150,000, led to a new and improved statue that was unveiled on Monday.
There’s good news out there. Here’s the unveiling of the Jackie Robinson statue at Wichita’s League 42, replacing the one stolen back in January. They rebuilt it. Higher. pic.twitter.com/bVGmwgs40P
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) August 5, 2024
The new statue stands in the same place as the old, instead this time the artist raised Robinson up on a pedestal worthy of a man of his stature:
And so, with the six-foot bronze replacement statue cast from artist John Parson’s original mold and erected — a little bit higher — in the same pavilion where the original had stood since 2021, a society of believers in the power of baseball materialized on this sun-splashed day in northeast Wichita.
The event had some noteworthy guests, with former Major Leaguers CC Sabathia, Dellin Betances and Jeremy Guthrie in attendance. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick was also present as a guest speaker.
The man responsible for vandalizing the statue was also arrested earlier in the week. He expressed remorse for his actions during his court trial, noting it was fueled by a fentanyl addiction, rather than any hatred toward Robinson.
Jackie Robinson stats and accomplishments
Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball when he debuted for the Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He played 10 seasons with Brooklyn, finishing with a .311 career batting average to go along with 137 home runs and 197 stolen bases.
Robinson’s rookie year was a memorable one, as he took home National League Rookie of the Year honors. Just two years later he was named the NL MVP, hitting .342/.432/.528 with 16 home runs, 124 RBIs and 37 stolen bases during an impressive campaign.
The Pasadena, Calif., native was a six-time All-Star and part of the 1955 Dodgers World Series championship team. Robinson had his No. 42 jersey retired by the organization on June 4, 1972, and five years later his iconic No. 42 was retired throughout Major League Baseball.
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