Thread by @LarryGlickman

On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play on a major league baseball team since the 1880s. As Jules Tygiel points out, many newspapers minimized the moment, as in this Boston Globe headline. /1
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For example, the Atlanta Constitution didn't mention the historic significance of Robinson's debut until paragraph five. /2
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When he was mentioned in the headlines, it was often to point out that he went 0-3. (As opposed to his debut with the Montreal Royals, the previous season when he had a monster opener.) Note also the gratuitous reference to Robinson's "piano key smile."/3
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St. Louis was a huge baseball city and the Post-Dispatch's summary of opening day summary article didn't mention Jackie Robinson in the headline or the lede. Finally got to him in the 11th and final paragraph. /4
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Arthur Daley of the @nytimes waited until the second column to mention JR and then it was to say that he grounded into a double play and to observe that, "The muscular Negro minds his own business and shrewdly makes no effort to push himself." He also praised JR's "ready grin."/5

Red Smith at the time of the NY Herald Tribune, and later the acclaimed columnist for the NY Times, waited until paragraph 12 to mention JR and then described him as "dark and anxious" and noted he seemed "frantic with eagerness, restless as a can of worms." /6

And here the one mention of JR's debut buried deep in the legendary sportswriter Dick's Young's article in the New York Daily News. /7
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Contrast those responses with this top-of-the-fold, across-the-front-page headline in the African American-run Pittsburgh Courier. /8
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Or this page 1 headline in the Chicago Defender: “ Jackie Robinson opens the door... makes history.” Looks like some newspapers got the story right.