Cuba Game At Marlins Park Was Everything But A Baseball Game

On Sunday, the first-ever baseball game between Cuba and Miami was reason for joy for haughty expats wanting to keep politics and sports separate. Nonetheless, it served as justification for hundreds of others to oppose the political repression they had fled.

Cuba Game At Marlins Park Was Everything But A Baseball Game

Miami, a city and region with an estimated 1.2 million people of Cuban origin, hosted the Cuba National Baseball team for the first time ever. In normal conditions, there would be a joyous and celebratory mood. Yet that was impossible due to the convoluted political climate.

The Miami Marlins’ home field, loanDepot Park, is located smack dab in the midst of Little Havana, which only serves to emphasise how “on the nose” everything is.

When he was 14 years old, José Villa escaped Cuba for the United States after spending six months in a concentration camp. He made his home in Little Havana, Miami’s Cuban district, like many of his fellow countrymen.

Before of Cuba’s World Baseball Classic semifinal loss to the United States by a score of 14-2, Vilela, now 68, paced around loanDepot Park, the home field of the Miami Marlins, on Sunday.

The first-ever baseball game played in the nation in Miami was reason for joy for haughty foreigners determined to keep politics and sports separate.

Yet, Vilela and many others saw it as justification to oppose the political repression they had managed to flee.

On Sunday, Vilela prowled the stadium, screaming for everyone connected to the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro—who backed Soviet-style communism—to leave the neighbourhood. Several Cuban athletes who are formally employed by the government were included in that.

“We don’t want them here,” Vilela said. “None. People that work for the Castro family. We don’t want them. They can go any place they want. Go to New York. Go to California. Not Miami. I hope this is the last time they come here.”

After rushing onto the field during the game, three protesters were led from the ballpark.

In the sixth inning, a demonstrator waved a flag that said “Libertad Para Los Presos Cubanos Del 11 de Julio, which means “Freedom for the Cuban Prisoners of July 11” — referring to the day thousands of Cubans took to the streets in the island in 2021 to protest shortages of goods, power blackouts and economic hardship. Hundreds of people who participated are in prison. Saturday, the crowd erupted in “¡Libertad!” chants as that protestor exited the field.

All day, there had been a heavier police presence outside the ballpark than for previous games in the tournament. About 15 Miami police officers rode around on bicycles.

https://twitter.com/TheMutedAlpha/status/1637441058349907969?s=20

Players and managers have tried to keep the focus on the sport itself.

“We’re just here for baseball, for the sport,” Cuba manager Armando Johnson said after the game, adding that the team did not pay attention to the demonstrators. “That’s what I do … I’m not a police officer.”

When asked if he as a Cuban is bothered that many Cubans don’t identify with the team, Johnson reiterated that he was focused on his job.

“It feels bad, but I don’t judge,” he said. “Like I said, everyone has his or her way of thinking. We are on the field and we come here just to play baseball and the sport. That’s what we wanted to do here.”

A plane with a political message flew over the stadium! The mostly hostile crowd was not limited to those with tickets. As there was even someone who hired a plane with the following sign: “Freedom for Cuba! Abajo el Comunismo“.

A situation that had been unimaginable for years became possible thanks to the World Baseball Classic. In 1959, Fidel Castro seized control of the island. Castro passed away in 2016, yet the same political movement is still going strong. The trip to Miami by Team Cuba was by no means a success, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see anything like it again for a while.

 

FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE- 

NBA   

 NFL  

MLB