Passage 1 Jackie Robinson began his professional baseball career in 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs, one of the leading teams of the then-separate Negro Leagues. Later that year, Robinson was recruited and signed by Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers). Robinson was called up from the minor leagues to the Brooklyn team in 1946, becoming the first black player to compete in the major leagues in the 20th century. Breaking baseball’s color barrier was a serious challenge, and Robinson met fierce resistance from many players and fans. Robinson endured malicious catcalls and racial slurs shouted from the stands and even anonymous death threats. Some rival players threw pitches at Robinson’s head, spat on him when he slid into a base, and attempted to injure him with the spikes on their shoes. However, the determined Robinson survived these attacks and helped the Dodgers win the National League (NL) pennant in 1947. During the season, Robinson led the NL with 29 stolen bases and was named rookie of the year in the major leagues. Passage 2 Wilma Rudolph was one of America’s first great track and field athletes. Born in Tennessee, Rudolph had far from a normal childhood. At the age of four she came down with pneumonia, polio, and scarlet fever. The illnesses so ravaged her body that Rudolph could not even walk normally until she turned eleven years old. In high school, Rudolph was an outstanding basketball player. But track was the sport in which she really shone. In 1956 she ran at the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and won a bronze medal in the 4X100-meter relay. At the 1960 Olympics, she won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and again ran on the 4X100-meter relay team. In 1961, Rudolph won the James E. Sullivan Memorial Award, an award that goes each year to the outstanding amateur athlete in the US. Later that year Rudolph retired from competition. Passage 1 and Passage 2 both provide information about A. athletes who overcame incredible obstacles to excel in sports. B. how easy it is to excel in track and baseball. C. famous athletes who excelled in baseball and track. D. athletes who were famous in the post World War II era.