Photograph of Jackie Robinson playing for the Montreal Royals (1946).
Photo Credit : Jewish Public Library - Archives
A letter written by Jackie Robinson sent to Sam Maltin.
Photo Credit : Jewish Public Library - Archives
A letter written by Jackie Robinson sent to Sam Maltin.
Photo Credit : Jewish Public Library - Archives
1917 - 1957
Sam Maltin
Sam Maltin was a sports journalist for the Montreal Star and Herald newspapers, whose articles not only tackled athletics, but progressive social issues of the day.
Inspired by the predominantly leftist social consciousness of his Montreal Jewish community, Maltin espoused a “radical idealism” in his opinion pieces. Baseball in the 1940s was at a crossroads with race relations. When Jackie Robinson was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers, he broke the colour barrier, making international news. This momentous event was greeted by American fans with both elation and hostility.
In Montreal, Robinson’s reception was enthusiastic, and Maltin was there to document the story. Robinson’s first home game in the city was on May 1st, 1946, in Delorimier Stadium. He was the biggest sports celebrity Montreal had ever seen. Later that year, Robinson led the Montreal Royals to the Junior World Series title in Montreal. After the win, tens of thousands of fans chased Robinson through the streets. As Maltin famously wrote, “it was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a mob with love instead of lynching on his mind.”
In addition to writing flattering articles about Robinson’s massive success, Maltin and his wife, Belle, developed a personal relationship with the baseball player and his wife, Rachel. The couples went on to write letters to each other for many years. Robinson maintained a deep appreciation for Maltin’s friendship, and referred to Montreal as “the city that enabled me to go to the major leagues.”
