| In early 1950, the second baseman Jackie Robinson was well on his way to becoming a legend. The first Black player to join the Major Leagues, in 1947, he had endured racism from fans and other players to become the first-ever Rookie of the Year. By the time his third season ended, he was the National League batting champion and M.V.P., and had been voted an All-Star for the first time. A few months later, he was working at an appliance store. As The New Yorker reported in The Talk of the Town, Robinson, despite his spectacular achievements, was spending his off-season selling televisions. This was during an era when many ball players—even stars—didn’t earn enough to take it easy when they weren’t playing or training. (Robinson, it should also be noted, had received a starting salary that was strikingly ungenerous for a player of his calibre.) On this Labor Day weekend, we wish workers on the baseball field, and in every field, a bit of well-earned appreciation and rest. | 
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