Go pro

Sports in Cuba



Go pro

Oct 1st 2013, 4:26 by The Economist online



THERE is a good story one sometimes hears recounted in the bars of

Havana or Miami that Fidel Castro once auditioned for the New York

Yankees. He was apparently so despondent not to be selected that he

decided to take revenge by spending the rest of his life haranguing the

United States. Sadly, the tale is apocryphal. While a keen player,

Cuba's former president was not good enough at baseball to secure a

tryout—he didn't even make the University of Havana's varsity team. But

what is true is that ever since his alternative career path led him to

the pinnacle of power in Cuba, he has stamped his beliefs on precisely

how the game, and indeed all sports, should be played there.



For more than half a century, rule number one has been that athletes

should compete for love of the sport and their country, not for money.

There have been some exceptions made over the years, and prized

sportsmen have received perks such as hard-currency bonuses and free

houses and cars. But those were always gifts from the state, not

earnings by the players. Officially their salary was the same as

everyone else's: a paltry $20 a month.



Ever since Mr Castro handed the reins to his younger brother Raúl in

2006, the government has undertaken a halting, cautious liberalisation

programme. First the authorities began allowing self-employment in

carefully selected professions; then they approved the sale of homes and

cars and relaxed rules on foreign travel. Now change is coming to

sports. In June Cuba agreed to return to the Caribbean Series, an annual

tournament of club baseball teams in the region that it quit in 1960.

Then, on September 27th the island's daily newspaper, Granma, announced

perhaps the most symbolically resonant reform yet: Cuban athletes in all

sports will now be allowed to compete in foreign leagues, as long as

they pay taxes of around 20% at home and remain available to play for

their country in major competitions.



No matter how much the government wanted to maintain ideological purity

in sports, its hand was forced by a wave of defections that has ravaged

baseball on the island. From 1966 to 1993, not a single player who grew

up in Cuba went on to have a significant career in America's Major

League Baseball (MLB). And many of those who did jump ship in the 1990s

and 2000s failed to meet expectations. But in recent years the pace of

defections has risen sharply: 21 Cubans are now on major league rosters.

By authorising athletes to ply their trade abroad during the local

league's off-season, the government hopes both to raise much-needed hard

currency from taxing their salaries and to reduce the number of players

who choose to leave for good.



The news immediately had American teams salivating over the prospects

that might conceivably become available to them. The latest crop of

Cuban exports has enjoyed extraordinary success. Aroldis Chapman, who

received $30m from the Cincinnati Reds after slipping out of the

national team's hotel in the Netherlands, now owns the record for the

fastest pitch ever thrown at 105 miles (170 km) per hour. Duly nicknamed

the "Cuban Missile", he led all relievers in strikeouts this season.

Yoenis Céspedes rewarded the Oakland Athletics for his $36m deal by

leading them to an unexpected playoff appearance last year and winning

the Home Run Derby at the league's annual All-Star Game this July. After

paying $42m to the 22-year-old Yasiel Puig, the Los Angeles Dodgers

handed a starting outfield job to the youngster in June, and he promptly

hit as well as anyone in the National League during the past four

months. Perhaps the most impressive of all is José Fernández, a

20-year-old who had to fish his mother out of the water while escaping

Cuba on a boat to Mexico. His earned run average this year was 44%

better than the league average, the best ratio for a rookie pitcher

since 1911. Moreover, the best may still be yet to come. Just this

August José Dariel Abreu (pictured), who has put up statistics in the

Cuban league previously seen only in video games and is universally

regarded as the country's finest hitter, established residence in Haiti

and announced his availability.



Unfortunately for MLB, however, the new policy will have only a minimal

impact on the league's access to Cuban stars. For that American teams

have their own politicians to blame. The United States' trade embargo

bans any transaction that would fund the Castros' government. As a

result, the requirement that Cuban athletes playing abroad pay local

taxes on their income would prevent MLB clubs from signing players who

plan to comply. Only outright defectors would be cleared to suit up.



America's loss is likely to be other baseball-playing countries' gain.

Because the Cuban season runs from November to April, local authorities

will probably be reluctant to let elite players jump to rival Caribbean

winter leagues. But Mexico has a summer league as well, and salaries in

Japan regularly reach seven figures. As Nippon Professional Baseball

reels from the loss of its own stars, most notably the Japanese-Iranian

pitcher Yu Darvish, its teams have compensated by attracting popular

foreigners: Wladimir Balentien of Curaçao, who failed to make an impact

in MLB, just broke the league's single-season home-run record. Cuba

probably has scores of players whose abilities far exceed Mr

Balentien's. Signing them could represent a marketing bonanza for

Japanese clubs, who very rarely get the chance to sign MLB-caliber hitters.



For now, the embargo against Cuba remains a sacred cow in Washington. As

a presidential candidate, Barack Obama called for an end to the policy,

and since taking office he has loosened restrictions on travel and

remittances to the island. Nonetheless, he has steadfastly renewed it

year after year, and has vowed to continue doing so until the country

liberalises politically as well as economically. The embargo's

durability is usually attributed to the influence of the conservative

Cuban-American organisations that defend it. If enough Yasiel Puigs and

José Fernándezes wind up playing in Japan, well-heeled MLB teams should

consider lobbying for the other side.



Source: "Sports in Cuba: Go pro | The Economist" -

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2013/10/sports-cuba