Sports world reacts to death of Hank Aaron
Following the news Friday that baseball legend Hank Aaron died at age 86, the sporting world began to pay tribute to the former home run champion and civil rights icon, remembering him as a man of grace, kindness, and dignity.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 22, 2021
It is with great sadness we share the passing of our home run king, Hank Aaron. pic.twitter.com/ZdRuhqIaet
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 22, 2021
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) January 22, 2021
Aaron's fellow Baseball Hall of Famers - some of whom shared the diamond with "Hammerin' Hank" at points throughout their careers - expressed a profound feeling of loss.
I can’t imagine what Hank Aaron went through in his lifetime. He had every right to be angry or militant.....but never was! He spread his grace on everything and every one he came in contact with. Epitome of class and integrity. RIP Henry Aaron! #HammerinHank
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) January 22, 2021
I’m speechless! RIP to the greatest of all time Mr. Hank Aaron!! I’m just stunned. Hank was the standard of greatness for me. The one man who I acted like a kid around star struck always! He was the definition of class! God Bless you and your family!! #HRKing#HammeringHank🙏🏾🙏🏾
— Frank Thomas (@TheBigHurt_35) January 22, 2021
The hits just keep coming. They are body blows! @Braves @baseballhall My friend #hankaaron I miss everything about him. So kind to me
— Johnny Bench (@JohnnyBench_5) January 22, 2021
Growing up in Georgia one of my childhood idols has passed Henry Aaron thoughts and prayers go out to Billye and the entire Aaron family RIP Mr. Aaron 😢🙏 pic.twitter.com/lAWK8xqTR4
— Wade Boggs (@ChickenMan3010) January 22, 2021
Saddened to say today I lost one of my heroes, Henry Aaron. I was so Happy when I saw a man of color break the home run record. A great man both on and off the field. I send my love to the Aaron family. pic.twitter.com/2yXVjdn4X4
— Fergie Jenkins (@fergieajenkins) January 22, 2021
I’m not even going to say the latest bad news in the baseball family...you’ll hear it yourself.😩🙏🏾⚾️ @baseballhall
— Dave Winfield (@DaveWinfieldHOF) January 22, 2021
Barry Bonds, who broke Aaron's career home run record in August 2007, wrote that African American role models like Aaron shaped him "for a future I could have never dreamed of."
Rest In Peace #HankAaron. A true baseball legend. pic.twitter.com/bDeuzfh8hx
— Barry L Bonds (@BarryBonds) January 22, 2021
Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who owned the Milwaukee Brewers when Aaron returned for a second stint in the city from 1975-76, released a statement on his friend's passing.
"Besides being one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Hank was a wonderful and dear person and a wonderful and dear friend," Selig wrote, per The Athletic's Will Sammon. "Not long ago, he and I were walking the streets of Washington, D.C., together and talking about how we've been the best of friends for more than 60 years.
"Then Hank said: 'Who would have ever thought all those years ago that a black kid from Mobile, Alabama, would break Babe Ruth's home run record and a Jewish kid from Milwaukee would become the commissioner of baseball?'"
While Aaron hung up his cleats after the 1976 season, the magnitude of his presence was not lost on past and present stars and managers of the modern game.
A legend on and off the ball field... the best to ever do it... RIP Mr Hank Aaron 🙏🏿 #44 pic.twitter.com/3LH6iB9auV
— David Ortiz (@davidortiz) January 22, 2021
You were and are an inspiration to be a better person on and off the field. We lost a true LEGEND of the game today... #RIPHankAaron 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/zMF7olu8QB
— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) January 22, 2021
We lost a legend. 🐐 R.I.P my friend @HenryLouisAaron 🙏🏾@Braves @baseballhall pic.twitter.com/Zk3jYagpxV
— Andruw Jones (@andruwjones25) January 22, 2021
Yooooooooooo😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😞RIP to one of the greatest baseball players and human beings ever. Wow I’m floored but privileged to have been in Mr. Aarons presence!! Just wow. https://t.co/2Q87MzDVB1
— 10 (@SimplyAJ10) January 22, 2021
RIP Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron! Sad sad day. Thankful for your heroism! 🖤 pic.twitter.com/oyfWfr0M80
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) January 22, 2021
Astros manager Dusty Baker, reached this morning in California, was devastated to learn of the passing of friend and mentor Hank Aaron, saying: "He was second only to my dad, and my dad meant the world to me." pic.twitter.com/x0P5MNfDmc
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) January 22, 2021
Free-agent infielder Justin Turner noted that Aaron was the latest among a recent run of Hall of Fame deaths, including Tommy Lasorda and Don Sutton earlier this month.
Gibson, Ford, Brock, Seaver, Kaline, Morgan, Niekro, Lasorda, Sutton and now Hammerin Hank. We’ve lost some of the greatest to ever do it this year. @TommyLasorda is gonna have a hell of a roster to manage up there. #RIPLegends
— Justin Turner (@redturn2) January 22, 2021
Others from outside the MLB family also paid tribute to Aaron, including former President Jimmy Carter, a Georgia native.
STATEMENT FROM FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER ON THE PASSING OF HANK AARON pic.twitter.com/Bp4Jh21MZ3
— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) January 22, 2021
and paved the way for other athletes like me to successfully transition into business.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 22, 2021
Hank Aaron is on the Mount Rushmore for the greatest baseball players of all time! Rest In Peace my friend. Cookie and I are praying for the entire Aaron family. 🙏🏾
Rest in Peace, Hank Aaron. 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/fTmOeK5Ksz
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 22, 2021
Hank... my dad and Grandfather raved about you. Thanks for changing the game of baseball... but more importantly thanks for bringing America together through love in a time of such great hate.
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) January 22, 2021
Heaven is a good place. #RIPHankAaron pic.twitter.com/D2m7fa4CXs
RIP to the legend and civil rights activists Hank Aaron 💯
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) January 22, 2021
My Dad took me to my first baseball game to make sure I saw Hank Aaron before he retired. I was so young I barely remember it except my Dad telling me over and over "there he is!" - Rest in Peace
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) January 22, 2021
RIP The Hammer—Hank Aaron has passed away. Could he play the game, or what?
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 22, 2021
When I was a kid, learning about Hank Aaron’s life and career meant learning for the first time that folks were still treated differently because of the color of their skin. Also it meant learning about an amount of dignity that I couldn’t possibly comprehend. #RIPHankAaron
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) January 22, 2021
Hank Aaron, my childhood baseball hero, has gone home. Watching him break Babe Ruth’s record for most home runs on television was a monumental moment. As a young black child, he inspired me to push for excellence. Rest easy Sir. pic.twitter.com/frco9tTIdV
— Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) January 22, 2021
"He was a source of pride for so many people, especially in the Black community, because he had so much class." - @kaj33 on the impact of Hank Aaron breaking the all-time home run record pic.twitter.com/nKnlBaPogW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 22, 2021
We celebrate the life and journey of the great, #HankAaron. He was a great athlete and a great person. May he Rest In Peace and Power. pic.twitter.com/b2npJsaW5H
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 22, 2021
You were more than an athlete.
— The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) January 22, 2021
Your leadership transcended sports.
And we are grateful for your courage and commitment to the freedom struggle.
Rest in power, #HankAaron.
We are praying for the Aaron family. pic.twitter.com/cTjRBWMZZV