MLB Lockout Could Affect Jackie Robinson Day

Image credit: Jackie Robinson (Getty)

As of right now, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has canceled the first two series of the MLB season due to the owner’s lockout of the players.

That in itself was significant, but the next wave of cancellations would carry a potentially bigger punch.

Right now, games through April 6 have been canceled. April 15, 2022 is Jackie Robinson Day. It’s the 75th anniversary of the day that Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball by making his Brooklyn Dodgers debut.

In a normal season, Jackie Robinson Day would likely be rescheduled. That’s what baseball did in 2020. When the coronavirus pandemic postponed the start of the season, Jackie Robinson Day was moved back to Aug. 28.

But a postponement would blunt some of the significance this year, with it being the 75th anniversary of the day Robinson made his MLB debut. It’s one of the biggest days in baseball history, and its commemoration right now is at risk.