Obama & Jackie Robinson: Why Even Wholly Selfish People Should Care about Justice

You might've heard the comparisons already, but if you haven't, you certainly will once he (hopefully) wins the nomination: Barack Obama and Jackie Robinson.

Now, the obvious comparison is pretty clear -- Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, as the game's first African American, and if Senator Obama were to win, he would of course be the first African American president. And who can doubt the importance of both "Firsts" on the justice front? The importance of opening up the doors to others for equal opportunity is something all Americans should cherish.

But let me throw out another thought -- even if you're completely selfish, and even if you couldn't give a rat's you know what about justice, this should still matter to you, big time. Here's why...

My parents are from Brooklyn, and grew up with the Brooklyn Dodgers. I think they're still frankly pissed off about the move to LA, even though it's been 50 years. Now, anyone who lived in Brooklyn at the time certainly remembers when Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947. But they also remember what came after that.

You see, in the 10 years before Robinson joined the Dodgers, the team won 1 pennant. In the 10 years he played for the Dodgers, they won six.

Now granted, this wasn't all about Robinson. There were other great players as well. But anyone with half a brain and a Baseball Encyclopedia certainly knows that a lot of it WAS about Robinson. So for Brooklynites throughout the borough, the justice story was a great start -- but having the dominant team in the National League? That made it all the more sweet.

A great story, for sure. But let's take it a step further, and think about what migh have been. What if the Dodgers had taken this step a decade earlier? What if they had not only brought Robinson on board, but also such stars as Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige? In short, what if they had simply recruited the best players, period, regardless of race. Would they have won more pennants? Would they have gone a step further, and clobbered the hated Yankees to win more World Series titles as well? We'll never know, but again, anyone with a brain and a Baseball Encyclopedia certainly would've bet on it.

Now, flashing back to the political front, think of this stat -- every American president ever has been a white male. Further, all but one have been a white male Protestant. Now, as a white male (well, "off white," I suppose, since I'm Italian and Slavic), I suppose one could argue I should like this if I were wholly selfish. But here's the thing -- like the Dodgers of the 30s and early 40s, I can't help but wonder how many all-star presidents we've lost out on because we didn't enable the best Americans -- regardless of race -- to have a chance.

What problems might've been solved? What problems might've been avoided? What might America have become if we had truly fielded our "best team," regardless of race?

So yes, I support Barack Obama. I support him first and foremost because I believe he is the best person for the job. Am I happy with the prospect of what this would mean on the justice front? Absolutely.

But most of all, it's just me being selfish. As a baseball fan, I want my team (the Washington Nationals) to field the best team. And as an American, I want my country to do the same.