Breaking the Nationality Barrier in Sports

It is well documented that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Baseball as he helped transcend the Brooklyn Dodgers and Major League Baseball as a whole. As a result of his bravery, his number is now retired nation wide for all teams in the majors. 

But not only was Robinson the first, he was also a very good baseball player. It took a bit longer for Latinos to make a major impact in American sports but effect has been felt in many sports. 

Perhaps considered the Jackie Robinson for latinos, Roberto Clemente put latinos on the map in baseball forever. Clemente is Puerto Rican, which is one of the most represented state in the major leagues today. He is also considered one of the greatest baseball players to ever live as he finished with a .317 batting average, is a part of the 3000 hit club and the 1,000 RBI club as well. 

This is a tribute on Clemente below. 

Baseball is the most notable of sports where Latinos have made an impact but not the only. In basketball, it is difficult to find a player from south of the American border who has helped make an impact on the sport. However Eduardo Najera has been a staple in the league for a number of years now. 

The Mexican-American attended the University of Oklahoma for college and then was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2000. Najera is not a superstar, but he is well respected around the league for his hard work and defensive tenacity. 

Najera is only the second Mexican-born player to play in the NBA. 

In an even lesser known about sport, Hockey has only produced one latino player in it's history. Scott Gomez, now of the New York Rangers is the first Latino to ever play the game on ice and was the first to be drafted back in 1998. 

Gomez has already seen success. In 2000, Gomez and the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup in only his rookie year. In the same year, Gomez won the award for Rookie of the Year. 

It is players like these that help those in the future who have a dream of doing anything they want. It always takes one, and then the rest will follow.