LOS ANGELES, CA — Every year at Latino Sports, we honor the great humanitarian and baseball Hall of Fame legend Roberto Clemente in December. It was on December 31, 1972, that the Puerto Rican, who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, died in the crash of the plane he had chartered to take emergency relief goods for the survivors of a massive earthquake in Nicaragua.
Over his lifetime as a player, he delivered financial aid to many Latin American nations, including his home of Puerto Rico. You must realize this dedication was from a man who made $125,000 annually, the equivalent of less than a million dollars today. The average MLB salary today is $5 million per season.
2016 AL LatinoMVP Francisco Lindor rounds first base on Roberto Clemente Day (September 15th, 2023) and represents the great one with #21 on his uniform – Image Credit: Maz Adams/Latino Sports
We can talk forever about his remarkable exploits on the field, as he was one of the greatest players ever to have played the game of baseball and the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to be honored in the Hall of Fame. Clemente had a few nicknames, “Arriba,” “The Great One,” and “Sweetness,” but “Humanitarian” stands out the most.
“Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world, and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.” -Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente following his 3,000th career MLB hit, which was also his final career regular season hit – Image Credit: AP
Clemente was a star who used his fame to promote equal opportunity to those less fortunate and give so much to those in need. He put together free baseball clinics for disadvantaged kids during the off-season, and today, he is recognized as a fantastic philanthropist.
Every year, Major League Baseball awards the Roberto Clemente Award to a player who “exemplifies the game, sportsmanship, community involvement, and contribution to their team.”
An up close look of the Roberto Clemente Award, deemed by many MLB athletes as the greatest individual accomplishment one can achieve on-and-off the diamond – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
But let us remember his play on the field, where he gave us incredible memories of his exciting style of athleticism. He once said:
“I am convinced that God wanted me to be a baseball player. I was born to play baseball”. And, “I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give.”
And on and off the field, he did just that!
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