Baseball in Cuba - Baseball in Post-Revolutionary Cuba (1961 - Present)

Present)

The Cuban Revolution of 1959 brought about fundamental changes in Cuban institutional and societal infrastructure, which had a wide array of effects. One such effect was in relation to baseball, a sport that has deep historical roots in Cuba. Baseball has been a central symbol of Cuban pride since the late 19th Century. After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, the revolutionary government chose it as a symbol of excellence and a voice for the rallying cry of nationalism. Shortly after the revolution, victorious guerilla leaders demonstrated their Cuban spirit by engaging in exhibition baseball games, with such symbolic gestures reinforcing the notion that baseball would be an integral component of Revolutionary Cuba. In 1961, the Cuban government replaced the former professional baseball system with new amateur baseball leagues such as the Cuban National Series. They wanted post-revolutionary baseball in Cuba to be based on a socialist model of sports, driven not by money, but by national ideals. Revolutionary officials believed that under capitalism, sport in general is corrupted by the profit motive and results in the exploitation of the masses typical of pre-1959 Cuba This fundamental shift from a professional to amateur system was preceded by the introduction of a very important institute.

In early 1961, the Cuban government established the Institute for Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) and made success in sports competitions a primary goal. Subsequent international sports triumphs would provide a spotlight on the Cuban Revolution and symbolize its success. In addition to displaying Cuba’s leadership to Third World countries, this would give Cubans themselves a sense of pride and feelings of nationalism for the Revolution. It was seen as a way of enhancing the revolutionary government’s legitimacy. Sports participation in Cuba was also universalized and thus made an essential component of revolutionary activity. The term coined to describe such a process was Masividad, and sports served the purpose to not only educate and train the Cuban people, but also to allow them yet another opportunity to fit in an egalitarian society that conformed to the very principles of the revolution. The Cuban people also became healthier due to their participation in sporting related activities, especially those that promoted physical education. Most Cuban sports facilities and the equipment they possess are adequate and meet the needs of the people as thoroughly as possible. INDER has branches at the municipal, provincial and community level and is ultimately responsible for the delivery of all sport and physical education functions; and the coordination of all sport related systems, structures and services delivered by political, health, cultural, community development, education and sports agencies and institutions that traditionally function independently of each other.

Although sport in general underwent a huge transformation after the revolution, it is still imperative to note that baseball continued to play a pivot role. After all it was Cuba’s bloodline and was easy to pick-up and play since it required less conditioning and more focus on the artisan skills of hitting, pitching, and strategy. Sports other than baseball retain some popularity in Cuba, including boxing and soccer, and the government continues to consider an athlete in fulfillment his or her duty as a Cuban citizen regardless of the sport pursued. As mentioned earlier, sport in post-revolutionary Cuba was utilized to not only improve health, but in doing so citizens have become more prepared in-terms of self-defense in light of hostile policies at least in the early days of the revolution by the United States. Baseball, like all other sports in Cuba was also utilized for political ends. For instance, Cuba has allowed for the Cuban National Baseball team to play in countries abroad such as Nicaragua to benefit flood victims and in Japan as a symbolic gesture to express goodwill for a strong trading partner. Such assistance by Cuba underlies its commitment to socialist internationalism, which still to this day sees a bevy of Cuban sports specialists training and instructing abroad citizens of other nations.

Everything has seemingly been positive, however not everything went as planned. Since the professional system was abolished in-favor of amateur leagues, players were not paid as extravagantly as they once were. One report found that most baseball stars made less than $2,000 annually and that all players would receive sports leave pay at the same rate they would get from their off-season jobs as engineers, sports instructors, handymen, etc. The situation would get worse in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which was Cuba’s main trading partner. This led many players to defect to the United States due to deteriorating economic conditions. Amidst such action, even Fidel Castro admitted himself that it’s hard to prevent the baseball stars from defecting. He would later proclaim, “if you have to compete against six million dollars versus three thousand Cuban pesos you cannot win.” Other problems included bribery scandals in which coaches and player alike would fix games, which subsequently led to them being banned from baseball in Cuba. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there were also instances in Cuba where baseball games would be canceled due to power outages and most fans chose to watch games from their home since it seemed more feasible to do so. The situation was so bad that pitchers in-game, would often have to exchange cleats with the pitcher who would have to pitch in the next half-inning. As one can note, resources even as minute as baseball cleats were that scarce during this very time. The Cuban government to this very day is also somewhat hostile in relation to the players that did defect in the 1990s.