Fidel Castro Essay

As a robust result of Fidel Castro’s choice to eliminate professional baseball in Cuba and the United States trade embargo against Cuba, hundreds of current baseball players have continuously made the ambitious choice to defect from their homes to pursue their dreams of becoming highly acclaimed professional baseball players. However, it is important to note that by making this decision to defect, they have a slim chance of having the opportunity to return home to their families who did not embark on the dangerous voyage to the United States. Nevertheless, Fidel Castro always took pride on the success of his “Equipo Cuba”, also known as the Cuban National Baseball team, who dominated the world of baseball for a decade between the years of 1987-1997. Thus, he considered the defecting of players from the Cuban team to the Major League Baseball as a form of national embarrassment.

During his regime, baseball players were highly acclaimed and were considered to be national heroes of Cuba. While on the other hand, those who defect are known as “traidores al beisbol”, or baseball traitors. Contrary to these labels, Cuban players have consistently said that they prefer playing for the MLB due to the large contractual fortunes they can offer them, depending on the financial status of the team. Even though smaller market teams are the ones who are willing to offer these large contracts, the larger market teams prefer to spend their dollars on well-known players such as Cuban Pitcher Ardolis Chapman who was signed by the Cincinnati Reds for a five-year, thirty million dollar contract. Another being Yusiel Puig, who defected from Cuba and was signed to a seven-year, forty-two, million dollar contract. In the past thirty years, this has ser...

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... their dreams of a career in the MLB.

Prior to Obama’s administration, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush found common ground in focusing on a dual track system that provided aid for the Cuban people while still secluding Cuba’s government. While expressing the initial track, the beginning of Clinton’s administration was defined by increased pressure through the Helms-Burton act and the Cuban Democracy Act of 1972 to try to abolish the Cuban Revolution. Unfortunately, this plan failed which meant the second track would run course. This is when Clinton decreased the restrictions created by the trade embargo in an attempt to help the Cuban people and prepare them for a hopeful future of democracy. One way he did this was by allowing U.S. citizens to help those in Cuba by means of giving the ability to send money to families and non-governmental organizations.