The Cuban professional league, dominated by the rivals Habana Lions and Almendares Scorpions, was thriving as baseball was the sport that captured the hearts of Cubans throughout the 20th century. That all ended in 1959. The baseball landscape and the landscape of the entire nation was changed when Fidel Castro became the leader of Cuba in January 1959 during the Cuban Revolution. Baseball has always been a preoccupation of Castro’s, an avid baseball fan since childhood. Castro was well aware of the popularity of baseball as well as the powerful unifying ability of the national pastime. Playing off of the historical connection between baseball and patriotism, Castro began to shape the sport’s identity to fit the revolutionary aims. Just as …show more content…
Although in international play Cuba has remained equal to or superior to the United States, the government’s credibility takes a hit each time a bright young star leaves the island for the bright lights of the Major Leagues. A number of players in recent years have successfully made the transition from the Cuban amateur league to American’s MLB. From Aroldis Chapman to Jose Abreu, each player secured a multi-million dollar salary, capitalist consumer goods (Chapman drives a Lamborghini and owns 60 pairs of shoes) and international fame. Perhaps the most embarrassing for Castro was the defection of Pedro …show more content…
In the 1970s the United States began to consider “baseball diplomacy” with Cuba, replicating the “ping-pong” diplomacy used with China. Baseball diplomacy, perhaps more than anything else, best exemplifies the wedding of politics and baseball. President Gerald Ford sought to reduce tensions between the two countries with baseball, yet was met with resistance from Cuban-Americans. After announcing the easing the trade embargo against Cuba, violence from Cuban-Americans ensued. Many saw the relaxing of the embargo and potential baseball diplomacy as a threat to Cuban freedom and a capitulation to Castro. Many attempts at baseball diplomacy during the 70s and 80s were often thwarted by political hostilities or, in one case, by Major League Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick. Frick’s reasoning for blocking a potential game between a Cuban all-star team and the New York Yankees was purely a baseball decision; he would be remiss to see the Yankees gain an unfair advantage in attracting Cuban