© 2025 SDPB
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The White House has issued an Executive Order to END federal funding for public media. Click here to learn more about how federal funding impacts SDPB and South Dakota.
News

Dakota Midday: Jonathan Eig And "Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season"

Before  the premiere of the new Jackie Robinson documentary (tonight on SDPB-TV, 8 CT, 7 MT) author Jonathan Eig joins Dakota Midday host Lori Walsh to talk about Robinson's first season and the opening day that changed a nation.

Eig unravels some familiar myths to reveal the real Robinson. The conversation covers how Jackie's base running frustrated fielders  and  how the baseball legend channeled his personal intensity into a history-shaping pennant race.

Jonathan Eig is the author of "Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season" and, most recently, "The Birth of the Pill." Ken Burns called Eig a "master storyteller." Eig is currently working on a book about Muhammad Ali.

Lori Walsh is the host and senior producer of "In the Moment."