Dodgers to enhance bond with Jackie Robinson’s legacy
The first words Magic Johnson spoke in an interview Wednesday had nothing to do with the price his group paid to buy the Dodgers, or how he would make the team better.
“Jackie Robinson,” Johnson said.
Johnson talked about how honored and humbled he was -- not only to become one of the first African Americans to own a share of a Major League Baseball team, but to do so with the team with which Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.
Johnson has reached out to Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson. He has invited her to take an active role with the Dodgers’ new ownership group, a person familiar with the discussions said Friday. The details of how Rachel Robinson -- and the Jackie Robinson Foundation -- would be involved with the Dodgers remain under discussion, the person said.
Under outgoing owner Frank McCourt, the Dodgers successfully persuaded MLB to schedule the team at home every April 15, the day reserved by the league to celebrate the anniversary of Robinson’s debut. The Dodgers also endowed a $1-million scholarship fund to be administered by the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
The discussions with Rachel Robinson first were reported by the New York Post.
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