Tuesday was Jackie Robinson Day, and all around the league teams and players paid tribute to the man who broke the color barrier exactly 67 years ago.
What is typically a day of celebration and remembrance, however, has been marred by four game postponements and the fact that even today, people are sending racist hate mail to Hank Aaron, an African-American baseball player who broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974.
Letters similar to one emailed to the Braves front office by a man who calls himself Edward — in which “scumbag” was the nicest word used when referring to Aaron.
This isn’t the first time the (*former) Home Run King has been the target of racist hate mail. Famously, Aaron received a slew of racially charged letters 40 years ago after breaking Ruth’s record. And unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last time.