‘A Slap In The Face’: New York DOT Misspells MLB Legend Jackie Robinson’s Name On Highway Sign | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Amanda Harding.

    Baseball fans couldn't be pleased to learn that New York's Department of Transportation misspelled the name of Jackie Robinson Parkway, accidentally writing the Hall of Famer's first name as "Jakie."

    The sign is emblazoned with a picture of Robinson, and passersby noticed it read "Jakie Robinson Parkway" over the weekend. The roadway runs through two of New York City's boroughs, Brooklyn and Queens.

    Sports fans are no doubt familiar with Robinson's many achievements. The baseball legend is known for becoming Major League Baseball's first black player in the modern era despite many obstacles.

    Robinson was the first black player to join the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The six-time all-star batted .313 over his 10-year MLB career, per ESPN. He won the rookie of the year award, an MVP award, a batting title, and won the 1955 World Series championship with the Dodgers.

    The baseball legend retired from baseball early in 1957 and went on to become a civil rights activist. Robinson was a spokesperson for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and also made appearances with Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Robinson became the first black person inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom.

    Robinson died from a heart attack in 1972 at the age of 53 following previous health complications, including heart disease and diabetes.

    That New York stretch of highway was initially named the Interboro Parkway but was renamed in honor of Robinson in 1997 on the 50th anniversary of his rookie season with the Dodgers.

    Department of Transportation spokesperson Scott Gastel told ESPN that the misspelled sign was replaced as of Monday. Fans were either amused by the mistake or deeply offended, with New York City Councilmember Robert Holden calling it "a slap in the face," per Sports Illustrated.