User:Laurenen2004/Wendell Smith (sportswriter)

Introduction to Smith's Life

John Wendell Smith (March 23, 1914 – November 26, 1972) was an American sportswriter and civil rights activist who was influential in the choice of Jackie Robinson to become 's career as the first African American Major League Baseball player in Major League Baseball in the 20th century. . Similarly, Smith was one of the first African American sport - writers to be a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and was posthumously awarded the J. G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Life and career
A Detroit native, Smith graduated from West Virginia State College where he pitched on the baseball team. One day after winning a game, a major league scout approached him and said that he " wished that he could sign him, " but couldn't due to baseball's color barrier, and instead signed the opposing pitcher. Thereafter, Smith promised himself that he'd do whatever he could to see an African American play major league baseball. He also Smith  became the sports editor for the college's newspaper his junior year. He began his professional writing career in 1937 with the Pittsburgh Courier, then the most popular paper within the black community in the country. He started Beginning as a sports writer and then , he then advanced to become a sports editor the year after. He covered the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords of baseball's Negro leagues for the Courier. Smith also petitioned the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) for membership, but was turned down because he was with the Courier and not one of the white-owned papers.

John Wendell Smith (March 23, 1914 – November 26, 1972) was an American sportswriter and civil rights activist who was influential in the choice of Jackie Robinson to become 's career as the first African American Major League Baseball player in Major League Baseball in the 20th century. . Similarly, Smith was one of the first African American sport - writers to be a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and was posthumously awarded the J. G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Jackie Robinson
Smith is credited with recommending Jackie Robinson to Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, who was searching for the individual  individuals with strong character to successfully execute the racial integration of baseball. The Courier offered to pay for Smith to travel with Robinson, who had to stay in separate hotels from his teammates due to segregation policies prevalent at the time. Smith traveled with Robinson in the minor leagues in 1946 and with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. In 1948, Smith released his book, Jackie Robinson: My Own Story. Often overlooked in retellings of Robinson's rise to MLB success, Smith spent over thirty years in the sports journalism industry, attempting to expand the integration of black players within the professional sports setting. Smith hit a "stroke of luck" when he encountered Robinson and was able to bring him to Rickey, however; his story is often sidelined as opposed to the story of a heroic athlete and a progressive coach.

Career at WGN and Continuation at Chicago Sun-Times
Smith moved to television in 1964 when he joined Chicago television station WGN as a sports anchor, though he continued to write a weekly column for the Chicago Sun-Times. Working for WGN, Smith was the "utility player" covering all topics of news and sports. Occasionally, Smith would cover breaking news, but his main focus during his time at WGN was the integration of sports. Smith devoted his time at WGN to publicize the integration of sports, particularly baseball. Using his connections in the media and at WGN, Smith brought black atheltes to the Red Sox tryouts; eventually bringing about the beginning of Robinson's career.

End of Life and Surviving Family

Smith died of pancreatic cancer at age 58 in 1972, just a month after Robinson. Smith had been too ill to attend Robinson's funeral, but he wrote Robinson's obituary. Since his passing, many sports and newspaper organizations have begun to recognize his contributions to the field of baseball in regards to his contributions of racial integration. h Smith is family is still alive  survived by his family now. ; all the boys and men names are all john. he Inspired the name to keep running in the family named John, inspired by Smith himself. his His family is located in Kansas City.

Honors
In December 1993, Smith was voted the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for excellence in journalism by the BBWAA. His widow, Wyonella Smith, donated his papers to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's archives in 1996, providing invaluable research material on the subject of baseball's integration.

In 2014, Smith was the recipient of sports journalism's prestigious Red Smith Award from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) organization.