May 22, 2008 12:08 PM
Nearly 400 UFT members attended the opening night of the Sports Museum of America, just down the street from UFT headquarters in lower Manhattan, on May 1. They were guests of the museum’s management, which would like teachers to include the museum when they are planning field trips. “They have English lessons and ‘Social Progress and Sports’ lessons also,” said UFT Teacher Center staffer Bob Kleppel. He added that there is physics involved in hitting a baseball and students could learn a lot from that. There are scholars who believe that the integration of major league baseball in 1947 — in Brooklyn — gave momentum to the civil rights movement and that the sport gave — and still gives — an outlet to immigrants.