1.0120 minSeason 1 • Episode 2
LatestRobinson uses his fame to speak out against injustice, alienating many who had once lauded him for “turning the other cheek.” After baseball, he seeks ways to fight inequality, but as he faces a crippling illness, he struggles to remain relevant.
Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.” After baseball, he was a widely-read newspaper columnist, divisive political activist and tireless advocate for civil rights, who later struggled to remain relevant as diabetes crippled his body and a new generation of leaders set a more militant course for the civil rights movement.
Direction
Ken Burns' signature archival poetry, sharpened by Sarah Burns.
Writing
Narrative boldly centers post-baseball activism and decline.
Score
Wynton Marsalis jazz score that weeps and swings.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The documentary deliberately mirrors Robinson's own arc: celebrated early, then increasingly uncomfortable, finally mourned. Ken Burns rarely lets his subjects look this messy.
Released during Obama's presidency, the film's inclusion of the Obamas carries different weight now—intentional bridge-building between respectability-era and more militant activism that feels almost elegiac post-2020.
US
