“The Players Alliance is a group of over 100 Black current and former baseball players, and on Thursday they announced collectively that they would be donating their salaries from the games on August 27 and 28 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball.
The group is headed by Curtis Granderson as president, C.C. Sabathia vice president, and Edwin Jackson secretary. An advisory board of seven current major leaguers and six former players includes names like Tim Anderson, Jason Heyward, and Prince Fielder. The Players Alliance sponsors programs for the Black community, including mentorship and donating baseball equipment.
On Twitter and Instagram, the alliance announced its plans for games on Thursday and Friday:
Friday is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball, set aside to honor the legacy of Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. Typically, Jackie Robinson Day is held on April 15 on the anniversary of his debut, but this year the postponement of the season pushed the day to Friday.
August 28 also holds special significance because it is the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and it is the date in 1945 when Robinson first met with Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey.”
