How Dodgers continue to invest in Jackie Robinson legacy
Mark Walter, controlling owner of the Dodgers, has forged a close relationship with the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
Mark Walter and his ownership group bought the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. Not long after, he called Rachel Robinson, widow of Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson, said Della Britton, president and CEO of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. “Literally Mark supported us from day one when he bought the Dodgers,’’ Britton told USA TODAY Sports.
"One of the first meetings he had, he called Rachel and Rachel and I went out to Los Angeles (from New York) and he said, ‘I want you to know this is part of your legacy and I very much feel the importance of this legacy to the team's history. We're partners... '' Jackie Robinson Day (Wednesday, April 15) will help spotlight the partnership between the Dodgers' current ownership group and Robinson's legacy.
In December, Walter and Thomas Toll, director of the movie "42" about Jackie Robinson, announced a $20 million to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which along with the Jackie Robinson Museum is in New York. “I remember Mark calling me,’’ Britton said, “and saying, 'Della, what do you need? You’ve worked so hard on this museum.
We're so proud. Can we be helpful? '" The Jackie Robinson Museum opened in 2022.