MLB Great Reggie Jackson Recalls Facing Racism As Player In Powerful Live TV Moment

The Baseball Hall of Famer said he wouldn't wish his experience "on anyone" as he reflected on facing discrimination in the South during the 1960s.

Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson opened up about racism and threats he experienced during his early playing career in the South in powerful, live TV remarks on Thursday.

Jackson, who played for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees during his iconic career, described several instances where people referred to him using the N-word as he played in Alabama during the 1960s.

“I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and said, ‘The n****r can’t eat here,’” Jackson told a Fox Sports panel about playing for the minor league Birmingham A’s in 1967.

The Hall of Famer cited other times where he faced racial slurs, adding to the intensity of his painful memories as he recalled trying to attend a “welcome home dinner” at then-Athletics owner Charlie Finley’s country club.

“They pointed me out ... [and said,] ‘He can’t come in here.’ Finley marched the whole team out,” Jackson said. “Finally, they let me in there. He said, ‘We’re going to go to the diner and eat hamburgers. We’ll go where we’re wanted.’”