As Major League Baseball prepares to honor Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, the league-wide celebration — where every player dons the iconic No. 42 — continues to be one of the most powerful annual tributes in sports. While Ken Griffey Jr. played a major role in jumpstarting this tradition, he refuses to take any personal credit, instead insisting it’s about honoring Robinson’s legacy, not his own.
“The way I look at it, this is what we’re supposed to do,” Griffey said. “This isn’t a Ken Griffey thing. This is a baseball thing. I just happened to be the guy that brought it to everybody’s attention. But this is what baseball needed to do.”
Back in 1997, when Griffey requested to wear Robinson’s number on Jackie Robinson Day, it sparked a tradition that has grown into a unifying moment across the sport. Every April 15, players across all 30 teams wear No. 42 to commemorate the man who broke baseball’s color barrier and forever changed the game.
Nike is joining the celebration again in 2025 with a special-edition cleat — based on Griffey’s signature Griffey 2 MCS model — designed to honor Robinson. This year’s cleats are particularly unique, featuring the No. 42 in the font of every MLB team, symbolizing the unity and shared respect all teams have for Robinson.
“Over the last few years, we’ve really sat down and said, let’s pick certain things that have happened,” Griffey said. “One year it was his military service, the other was the Brooklyn colorway. When he played for the UCLA Bruins, we had that colorway… It’s a collection of amazing things that people really associate with Jackie Robinson.”
Griffey also pointed out that while Robinson deserves the spotlight, other legendary figures like Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Mickey Mantle should also be remembered and learned from. It’s not just about honoring history but learning from it, and continuing to push the game forward through awareness and appreciation.
Jackie Robinson Day 2025 promises to be a special one, filled with heartfelt tributes, iconic visuals, and a unified message: baseball remembers, honors, and carries on the legacy of a trailblazer.
