"They'll taunt and goad you," Mr. Rickey said. "They'll do anything to make you react. They'll try to provoke a race riot in the
ballpark. This is the way to prove to the public that a Negro should not be allowed in the major league. This is the way to
frighten the fans and make them afraid to attend the games."
If hundreds of black people wanted to come to the ballpark to watch me play and Mr. Rickey tried to discourage them, would I
understand that he was doing it because the emotional enthusiasm of my people could harm the experiment? That kind of
enthusiasm would be as bad as the emotional opposition of prejudiced white fans.
Suppose I was at shortstop. Another player comes down from first, stealing, flying in with spikes high, and
cuts me on the leg. As I feel the blood running down my leg, the white player laughs in my face...,
Could I turn the other cheek? I didn't know how I would do it. Yet I knew that I must. I had to do it for so many reasons, For
black youth, for my mother, for Rae, for myself. I had already begun to feel I had to do it for Branch Rickey
Which detail best supports the idea that Robinson is concerned about the job he faces?
They'll taunt anythgoad you,' Mr. Rickey said. They'll do anything to make you react."
"That kind of enthusiasm would be as bad as the emotional opposition of prejudiced white fans."
"Could I turn the other cheek? I didn't know how I would do it. Yet I knew that I must."
"I had to do it for so many reasons. For black youth, for my mother, for Rae, for myself."
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