42; an inspirational story of the Dodgers breaking the color barrier

As a proud wearer of orange and black, you wouldn’t see me caught dead advocating the Dodgers. But this was a special case. The movie 42, which is about the man who changed baseball, looked too good to pass up, so I headed to the theater to watch the only Dodger I respected.

I soon learned that it didn’t matter that I was a Giants fan. This movie wasn’t about the Dodgers. It was about one man, one team, and one owner who changed baseball forever.

42 is the story of one of the most famous men in baseball. Even if you don’t know anything about the sport, chances are you’ve heard of Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

This movie follows Robinson’s struggle to play the sport he loves amidst prejudice and hate. Not only is it a story of Robinson’s struggle, but also about the struggles of the all white Dodgers who play alongside Robinson.

This is what I truly loved about the movie. It’s not just about Robinson and the impact he made to baseball. The film encompasses the growth of the entire team: how the players lived through first the disdain and embarrassment of playing with a black man, and later their total acceptance of him. It wasn’t only Robinson who changed baseball, as one would expect the film to claim. The film shows how the Dodgers, as a team, changed America’s favorite sport.

The film stars faces old and new, but the two main stars are veteran Harrison Ford and rookie Chadwick Boseman. Ford does an excellent job playing the gutsy and admirable owner of the Dodgers, Branch Rickey, while Boseman portrays a very real and relatable Robinson.

The film is both exciting and inspirational. One of the most heartwarming scenes is when Robinson’s hope is reinvigorated after his teammate helps him back to the plate where Robinson was being harassed by the opposing team’s manager. This scene shows the start of a strong bond between Robinson and his teammates.

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to love this movie. The true message is in the team the Dodgers became and their journey to become that team. 42 is a truly inspirational movie. It made me, a diehard Giants fan, root on the Dodgers. If that is possible, just imagine what you could gain from this amazing story.