April 15 is 'Jackie Robinson Day' in MLB, an annual celebration of baseball's great trailblazer.

In 1947 a 28-year-old Robinson walked out onto Ebbets Field, Brooklyn and became the first black man to play professional baseball in the modern era.

Here we take a look at those who broke down barriers or revolutionised their sport with acts that continue to have lasting impacts.

 

JESSE OWENS

Not only did Owens crush his competition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany, he also destroyed Adolf Hitler's Aryan supremacy theory in the process.

Owens, a black American born in Alabama, won gold over 100 and 200 metres, the long jump and the 4 x 100m relay, becoming the darling of the German public and reportedly annoying Hitler along the way.

In 1976, Owens was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest civilian honour for an American.

JACKIE ROBINSON

When he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on Opening Day in 1947, Robinson ended 60 years of segregation in his sport.

By 1956, Robinson's final year in the majors, black players made up 6.7 per cent of major league rosters. That number was still only 7.7 per cent in 2019.

Robinson was a six-time All Star, the 1949 National League MVP and a 1955 World Series champion. His number 42 is retired by every MLB franchise.

BILLIE JEAN KING

King was not only an incredibly successful player - one who won 39 grand slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles - she was also a pioneer for women's tennis.

In 1970, frustrated by a disparity in prize money between men and women, King led a group of nine women to form a new competition, which eventually led to the formation of the WTA Tour.

King also beat former men's world number one Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes in 1973, a match that was watched by 90 million people worldwide and was considered key to gaining greater recognition for women's tennis.

JIMMY HILL

Players paid £100,000s every week owe a debt of gratitude to Hill, the former chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).

Back in the 1950s, players in England were only allowed to earn a maximum of £20 a week due to a Football League salary cap that Hill, in his role with the PFA, successfully campaigned to scrap in 1961.

Later that year Hill's Fulham team-mate Johnny Haynes became the country's first £100-a-week player. Today, Lionel Messi has a wage in excess of €600,000 per week.

DICK FOSBURY

The creators of the Cruyff Turn and the Dilscoop might have produced feats of skill worthy of bearing their names, but neither man completely redefined the way their entire sport is approached.

Fosbury began experimenting with a new way to perform the high jump during high school and his success with the Fosbury Flop started to be replicated by others.

The American won gold at the 1968 Olympics. Four years later over half of the high jumpers used Fosbury's technique. Today it remains the most popular method to try and clear the bar.