Here’s what The Sporting News said about Jackie Robinson in 1945, when he signed with the Montreal Royals:
Great moments in player evaluation
Robinson is reported to possess baseball abilities which, were he white, would make him eligible for a trial with, let us say, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Class B farm at Newport News if he were six years younger.
In the following season, Robinson would take MVP honors in the Class AAA International League. In the season after that, he would garner Rookie of the Year honors in the major National League.
A few years later, The Sporting News would also editorialize that Satchel Paige wasn’t good enough to pitch in the majors.
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