Are Cuban Sports Truly Changing?

Are Cuban Sports Truly Changing?

October 18, 2013

Ronald Quiñones



HAVANA TIMES — A few short weeks ago, whenever you asked anyone on the

street whether they thought Cuban sports were actually changing, it

didn't take long to hear the negative. One had the impression one was

talking to one of the island's more renowned cartoon characters, Elpidio

Valdes, and hearing his unforgettable catch-phrase every time: "You'd

have to see it to believe it, pal!"



Well, it seems that, suddenly, one straw broke the camel's back. I say

this because today's developments haven't come about without slip-ups,

Hollywood-like escapades, players "tendering their resignations" and

even direct demands, most voiced in hallways, but some courageously

addressed to many officials, who would put on an angry face whenever

they heard any complaints, as though they were being asked to give up

part of their own salaries.



Now, to the surprise of the common Cuban, the demands of fans, and the

island's athletes themselves, have finally made it to paper: the freedom

to enter into contracts with foreign teams, to collect the entirety of

their individual and team prizes, and to earn better salaries in

general, in dependence of their performance.



Before, only athletics, volleyball, judo, boxing, wrestling and chess

enjoyed some kind of monetary "privilege", the small sum of 15 percent

of the earnings for the athlete and 4 percent for the coach, in the case

of individual sports. In team sports, not more than 50 percent of the

earnings had to be distributed among all members.



When it came to salaries, Olympic gold medalists received a

300-dollar-a-month salary, while silver and bronze medalists earned 200

and 100 dollars a month, respectively. World championship gold, silver

and bronze medalists received 150, 100 and 50 dollars a month, respectively.



That said, even though Cuban boxer Felix Savon won three Olympic gold

medals and six world championships, he only got paid for one of those

medals. Now, non-retired athletes get a better deal: they get paid for

every medal they earn. It is said they will also get compensation when

they retire, but this hasn't been explained yet.



Right now, therefore, many are asking themselves how much someone like

Mijain Lopez would be earning, a two-time Olympic champion and four-time

world champion, someone who has also won two Olympic silver medals.



In addition to the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) earnings, which are easy

to calculate (1,400 CUC), Lopez would be getting paid for his three

Pan-American titles (1,250 Cuban pesos each) and receiving his Cuban

peso incentives for his participation in the Olympics and world

championships (some 1,400 Cuban pesos).



Needless to say, though this is an extremely high salary by Cuban

standards, it is far from obscene when compared to what his counterparts

around the world make, and even to what some Cubans take in (and not

precisely through the sweat of their brows).



The weekend following the announcement of these measures, most opinions

on the street coincided on one thing: that justice had finally been done

(or was beginning to be done). Below are a number of the opinions voiced

in response to the new policy:



Alejandro (driver): "I think we need to be a little quicker about these

things. They handed out the hats so late that they may not find many

willing heads now. Had they continued in their hard-headed ways, we

would have been left without a single top level athlete."



Yuri (secretary): "It's a very good decision, I'm happy about it. I hope

all of the country's workers also begin to receive decent salaries, as

they are the ones who keep the country going, who shoulder most of the

economic and social burdens."



Roberto: "I believe it is a very fair decision, they deserve it. We will

no longer be persecuting Cubans who choose to play on foreign baseball

teams. We also want to see our players playing in major leagues on TV.

But they should also do the same for doctors, engineers and other

professionals in the country, they also need improvement in their lives."



Alejo (medical doctor): "I still think athletes should be further down

the list of priorities. We're really not helping ourselves encouraging

inflation by bolstering a non-productive sector. When all is said and

done, this is a small cosmetic change, something they know will make

people very happy. The problem of salaries in Cuba is so serious that

they had to do something, and the easiest and cheapest thing to do was

to give a small sector more elbow room. Most people have the same

problems athletes had."



Orlando: Of course, other professionals could feel their work is being

underestimated. This is fair, but it's still only letting a bit of steam

out of a cooker that couldn't take any more pressure. My question is: do

we have to do what athletes have been doing in recent years (break the

rules, quit, have a poor performance) to get their attention?



Alexis (carpenter): "You crawl before you walk and you walk before you

run. Now everyone wants to be paid better. These athletes are filling up

stadiums and that's the money that will be going into their salaries. I

know there are other professionals who contribute a lot to society, but

we can't solve all our problems at once. Let's wait and hope each of the

country's sectors begins to improve, one by one."



Despaigne's Experiences



Michel Enriquez made history some months ago when he became the first

Cuban baseball player to play in a professional league without having

had to retire from the sport in Cuba. His contract with the Mexican team

Piratas de Campeche ("The Campeche Pirates") was met with great

expectations, not only in the two countries involved, but in many places

around the world as well.



Ultimately, Enriquez was unable to shine on Mexican soil due to an

injury. When Cuban players Alfredo Despaigne and Yordanis Samon were

hired by the same team, things took a different turn. Samon returned to

Cuba a week later because, according to the Pirates front office, they

were looking to him for a leadoff batter, not a power hitter. The flip

side was his compatriot from Granma, Despaigne, sought for his power,

and who set a new precedent.



Despaigne concluded his stint in the Mexican Baseball League with a .338

average, having recorded 45 hits (including six doubles and eight

home-runs) in 133 at-bats. He also drove in 24 runs and had an OBP of

0.364, slugging average of 0.564, and an OPS of 928.



The right-fielder made a big impact in Mexico, where he was considered

the year's top acquisition, despite having arrived to the season rather

late. As for his salary, he retained 80 percent of the earnings (eight

of the 10 thousand dollars agreed to), which is the opposite of what had

happened with sports contracts before then.



In Cuba, Despaigne's effort in the Mexican league was not given the

promotion he deserved in the media. This did not stop baseball

aficionados from evaluating his performance upon the player's return,

and to comment about this unprecedented experience:



Jesse Gomez (computer engineer): "He's one of the great ones. I hope all

Cuban baseball players get the opportunity to shine in any foreign league."



Jose Hermida: "I am very happy these types of arrangements are happening

now, and I hope this will keep Cuban players from emigrating. The

problem is that the difference in salaries between the MLB and the

Mexican League is tremendous, and though these new measures may help,

the Majors will always be a temptation for many. I hope we stop losing

sports talents this way."



Alfredo Carrazana (medical doctor): The deals with the MLB are

different, but, someone as intelligent as he doesn't need to go off to

the MLB. I hope more contracts with other players are signed next year."



Julio (teacher): It was hard to speak of patriotic feelings before they

took these steps. One should be able to make use of their talent

wherever they wish and to return to home and simply get taxed for one's

earnings."



A New Era Begins



Opinions aside, the truth of the matter is that this radical new measure

marks a turning point for Cuban sports.



I don't think the migration of baseball talents will be considerably

reduced by this, but athletes in other disciplines may feel a greater

incentive to stay in Cuba, where the money earned goes a lot farther.



My only hope is that we don't see a replay of 1998, when Cuba's national

volleyball team was authorized to enter into a contract with Italy and

the whole tape was rewound when some players returned with injuries.



We'll likely be seeing these kinds of things again, but, if we throw out

the baby with the bathwater again, we'll be truly hard pressed to return

to the days of glory Cuba enjoyed back in the days of the socialist

bloc. The times have indeed changed.



Source: "Are Cuban Sports Truly Changing? - Havana Times.org" -

http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=99473