The United States' blockade against Cuba is real, objective and, above all, genocidal and lacking any legality. Sports and especially Baseball have been well-defined objectives in this dirty war that is now six decades old. My colleagues of the "free and independent press" do not talk about the subject, but it exists and is there as active as the first day.

The essential elements of the policy of blockade had been clearly outlined in 1960, while the preparations for military aggression against Playa Girón were underway. In 1961, the United States government broke diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba and banned North Americans from traveling to our country. On February 3rd, 1962, the blockade was officially proclaimed under the Act of Commerce, against the enemy.

The economic blockade closes all sources of financing external to the country, excludes it from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and all types of sources of soft loans; operating dollar accounts are prevented in economic and international relations, so the economy has to finance sport without being able to count on these international financial resources, which limits the financing for the development of sport.

Moreover, it limits the construction of facilities and their maintenance, the development of national and international events, as well as to guarantee the equipment for athletes. Besides, it makes the participation of athletes more expensive in international events of different countries since they have refused to pay prizes, cash incentives to athletes who have reached top places representing the Cuban flag.

The blockade prevents the natural flow of amounts resulting from the hiring of Cuban athletes abroad. The most affected sports are Baseball (1,519 million, 190,000 USD), Soccer (550,000 USD), Water Polo (840,000), Handball (3,600,000) and Basketball (900,000). On the other hand, the impossibility for the foreign counterpart to execute bank transfers to make payments for services has meant that the Cubadeportes Company has not received more than half a million USD from Mali, Namibia, Djibouti and Cape Verde.

The direct war of the United States against Cuban Baseball began as early as the night of July 25th, 1959 at the Latin American Stadium in Havana. The 6th anniversary of the Assault on the Moncada Barracks coincided with an International League game, category Triple A, between the Cuban Sugar Kings and Alas Rojas de Rochester. A few shots in the air in the middle of the festivities was the pretext for what would come later. On July 8th, 1960, the new Secretary of State, Christian Herter lobbied and after a meeting in Washington with Ford Frick, commissioner of the Major Leagues, it was decided to transfer the franchise from Havana to Jersey City, because "the climate in Cuba is no longer healthy for our national pastime." When breaking the news, Horton justified himself with the need to protect the players because of the situation there. When a journalist asked him what situation in Cuba he was referring to, he replied: Well, what they say happens in Cuba.

While that was happening, preparations were already underway for the invasion of Playa Girón, so the intention was clear.
From that moment on, North American players are prohibited from traveling to Cuba and on top of that, the blockade laws require Cubans who intend to reach MLB a series of "special requirements" applicable only to them. First, the athlete must break all ties with his federation and apply for residence in a third country. Only in this way can a contract be established with a team from the big top.

In this way, and using various ways to reach the United States, among them the illegal trafficking of people and the falsification of official documents, the exodus of Cuban players is stimulated and without the commitment to pay a single cent to the country that formed them. This continues to this day.

Players such as Orlando Hernández, José Ariel Contreras, Kendry Morales, Yoenis Céspedes, José Dariel Abréu, Yulieski Gourriel and Aroldis Chapman are part of an endless list of talents trained in Cuba and who, as victims of the United States blockade had to apply "variants" to to be able to play in the best Baseball in the world.

The cancellation of the Cuba-MLB agreement by the North American government was the ratification that the cold war on the ball was spreading. It is a question of a well-designed policy, even if my colleagues in the "free and independent press" do not write or say a single word ...

SOURCES: Minrex, Jit.cu and Author's Archive