In "I Never Had It Made," Jackie Robinson credits many people with helping him succeed as a professional baseball player. Branch Rickey is mentioned as "the man who inspired him most" (paragraph 7). Robinson also mentions how Mr. Ricky insisted that his teammates accept him and states that the bond between him and Mr Rickey lasted long after Robinson had left the game (paragraphs 3, 8). Black people, Robinson says, were also very important to his success. They "helped make the experiment succeed," says Robinson, and adds that he and Mr. Rickey "owed them a great deal" (paragraph 10). Finally, Robinson mentions children and says of one instance, where a "tiny white kid" helped crush the racial tension, that it "made me feel I had to succeed" (Paragraph 11). "The black and the young where my cheering squad," says Robinson (paragraph 12).