The loss of stars has already hurt fan enthusiasm for baseball in Cuba. So much so that it's now easier to find children to give soccer balls to than it is to find kids playing baseball. Cubans are proud of their culture, and despise what the US does to try to destroy it.
If you understand the history of Cuba -- how it's people embraced baseball as a way to prove their own distinct identity, and to disparage the Spanish and their bullfights -- it only makes sense that the proud and educated people of Cuba would decide to move on. Based on what I've seen over the past ten years, be on the lookout for superb soccer players coming out of Cuba next.
It’s almost as if people don’t like living in a failed communist police state. Weird.
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Baseball players are human beings, not slaves to be sold. How can MLB consider a deal with the Cuban government that requires the teams to rebate to Cuba a portion of the players salaries? Cuban doctors are currently treated this way working in South America. The are paid much less than local doctors with the Cuban government taking the difference. Their families are held hostage to prevent defections. Will the Cuban ball players' families be free to join them in the US?
Major league baseball should schedule games in Cuba during the regular season. At least twice a month, a pair of teams should play a minimum of two games. Tickets should be distributed to the public at little or no cost
In selecting the teams to play in Cuba, preference should be given to teams with Cuban players. That way, the Cuban people can see their stars at play with the best in the world.
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