Winners selected for Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers Essay Contest, presented by Nike

Over the past several weeks, Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes have been submitting creative works for the Academy’s 2023 Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers Essay Contest, presented by Nike.

Established by Sharon Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s daughter, the contest challenges young athletes to recall a time they overcame a barrier by using one or more of Jackie’s nine values: citizenship, commitment, courage, determination, excellence, integrity, justice, persistence and teamwork.

Expanded last year to include all creative works, Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes ages 7-18 submitted dozens of essays, poems and illustrations connecting their lives to Robinson’s.

The 2023 winners include DeMarcuz Hairston for his illustration of determination, Ashlyn Miller for her poem “The Wonders of Teamwork,” and Michael Davis Jr. and Kortes Howard for their original short stories.

This year’s winners will attend the Rangers-A’s game on Saturday, April 22, when the team will honor Robinson’s legacy as guests of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, where they will enjoy the on-field action from a suite at Globe Life Field.

Additionally, winners receive a pair of Rangers tickets to be redeemed for a game of their choosing and a $25 Amazon gift card.

Breaking Barriers Winning Submissions:

Determination

By DeMarcuz Hairston, age 9

“The way my photograph shows determination is in the eyebrows. The eyebrows show that Jackie is ready for anything he comes across.

“How I show determination on the field is occasionally blanking my mind to focus on the play at hand,” read Hairston’s description as written on the reverse side of his illustration.

The Wonders of Teamwork

By Ashlyn Miller, age 11

Playing catch on the field

Sun is high up in the sky

Playing by these rules, oh my!

Catching and throwing this ball I wield

Teammates miss the ball, oh no!

Encouraging all around

Winning we are bound!

Teammates hitting far, oh woah!

Oh the wonders of teamwork

Ball Flew up high “we won”!

Oh what fun

Oh teamwork really makes the dream work.

Breaking Barriers

By Michael Davis Jr., age 15

Hello, my name is Michael Davis Jr, I’m 15 years old and from Lancaster, Texas. I’ve been with the Rangers Youth Academy for nearly four years now. I have met some great players and coaches, and I’m thankful for the opportunities. In my immature age of 15, with not a lot of experience in life, I’m nearly positive I have used most, if not all, of Jackie Robinson’s values in my developing baseball career. One of the nine values of Jackie Robinson that stood out to me the absolute most is his courage.

It took courage to do what Jackie did, breaking the barriers for us Black players. Jackie had to have courage not just in baseball, but in life as well because times were tough for the Black community because of segregation and rights being taken away. So, for Jackie to do what he did, it helped the Black athletes to get to where we are today. I have had to have courage throughout my young baseball career. It takes courage in a sport that is predominantly white. I’ve been the only black kid on most of my teams since I was little, but I’ve never felt left out or anything. I must admit it is hard having to keep courage, but I also know it will pay off. Jackie is a significant role model. He had great character and a good heart, and every day I try to get better at Jackie’s values. Jackie showed us with perseverance, courage, confidence and determination you can get anything done. I also think courage and confidence go hand in hand.

Jackie did a good job and went a long way doing that and he is a monument, not just for me but for all Black athletes. When I think about Jackie Robinson, I think about what he has done for Black people in sports. The barriers that were broken, and the confidence that has been given to young players like myself, have led to the opportunities that I have today. He will always be remembered, and his values will always be foundational.

I enjoyed writing this essay and am grateful for the opportunity and for the competition. In the words of the late Jackie Robinson, “Above anything else, I hate to lose.”

Breaking Barriers

By Kortes Howard, age 18

Jackie Robinson once said, “I don’t think it matters what I believe, but what I do.” I believe he’s talking about ‘Determination’. He was the first to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball and later advocated for equality in MLB, housing and education. I admire his tenacity, high level of achievement and always doing his best to win despite adversity on the field. I admired the way he achieved success, and I found that his determination to overcome barriers is what I experienced in baseball too. Only my challenge was to overcome my failure at hitting an outside pitch. At least, I knew that was the scouting report. I worked hard. I trained, got advice, studied and practiced a lot to hit that low outside pitch the next time I saw it. I was determined to master that pitch, and I had made up my mind to do just that.

Friday night arrived, in the bottom of the seventh, I’m up to bat. I saw the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, I planted my foot, lowered my body, loaded slowly and waited as that low outside pitch came toward the plate. Once the ball was in my zone, I smashed it into right center, getting a double. With a walk-off, I scored the winning run - Falcons 0 - Jaguars 1. My team was jumping, slapping hands with big smiles after I crossed the plate. My determination paid off not only for me but my team. And after all of that, we showed good sportsmanship - hand slaps to our opponent. The assistant coach from the Falcons sought me out and said to me, “Good game, you beat us.”

Jackie Robinson is a special guy in many ways. I learned to be as determined as he was. I know that’s a winning value for him and me.

Baseball & Softball

Jr. Home Run Derby (Baseball): Round 1 – April 30, 2023

Sluggers ages 10-14 can register for the Texas Rangers Youth Academy Jr. Home Run Derby on April 30. Round 1 winners will advance to the regional competition where they’ll swing for a spot in MLB’s Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals in Seattle. Register here.

Jr. Home Run Derby (Softball): Round 1 – April 30, 2023

Sluggers ages 12-16 can register for the Texas Rangers Youth Academy Jr. Home Run Derby on April 30. Round 1 winners will advance to the regional competition where they’ll swing for a spot in MLB’s Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals in Seattle. Register here.