In the 1940s, the major leagues of baseball were void of black players. White players were considered to be superior to black players. All black players played in the Negro Leagues, receiving no better treatment than any other black person. However, all of that changed in 1945, when Branch Rickey signed former UCLA sports star Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1947, after playing for one year on the Dodgers' most prominent minor league team, the Montreal Royals, Robinson exploded into the major leagues as the first black baseball player to play in the National or American League. Despite facing massive amounts racism from every side, including racial slurs, threats, and physical violence, Robinson became a star with the Dodgers. He broke open the major leagues for all black baseball players. When he retired in 1956, he turned his attention to civil rights, writing several political letters in favor of black rights. However, his efforts might have been fruitless if not for the endeavors of the players who followed him into the major leagues.