December 20, 2005

The U.S. administration openly admits it fixes elections in foreign countries. The list is long: Iraq, Bosnia, Serbia, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Panama, etc. Madeleine Albright proudly stated that the U.S. put $42 million into the Serb elections of 2000.

Add to that the number of dictatorial countries the U.S. supports, and it is easy to see that the "bastion of democracy" in the western hemisphere is nothing more than an imperialist power that must have control over the world.

At one time, sporting events transcended politics and was free from the politics of colonialism. That all changed a few days ago.

Before I get into the dastardly actions of the U.S. in the field of sports, let me give you a little background of international sports in general and baseball in particular.

There are many more international sports tournaments every year than just the Olympic games. Many sports have club or national team competitions, such as the World Cup in soccer.

The one sport without such a world title is baseball. Until a couple of decades ago, no country could field a team that could compete with the top U.S. players, except possibly Cuba. Today, Japan, Venezuela, and Taiwan are very close in talent to the U.S. South Korea, Italy and The Netherlands are also progressing in the quality of baseball they offer.

Finally, Major League Baseball sat down with the international baseball community and heralded a change in the status quo. In 2006, there will be a 16-team competition for the world championship called the "World Baseball Classic." Qualifying rounds will be played in the U.S., Japan, and Puerto Rico. The championship final will be held in March 2006 in San Diego.

The international baseball community has been waiting for years to hold a legitimate world series, not just the U.S. World Series held every year in October. The World Baseball Classic, like the World Cup in soccer, will consist of national teams, not clubs, as in the U.S. World Series.

On December 15, 2005, the U.S. government announced it would not allow the Cuban team to participate in the U.S. There was no reason given other than the Treasury Department nixing Cuba’s participation.

This is a first. Even during the Cold War, national and club teams from eastern Europe or the Soviet Union played against teams from western Europe. On the ball field, political animosity was left behind.

The Cubans did not take the decision lightly. On December 15, 2005, Sports Illustrated ran an article titled, "U.S. Denies Cuba Permit for World Baseball Classic. Here are a few excerpts from the piece:

"Enough already!" said Antonio Mayeta, whose brother is a baseball player in Cuba. "It’s unbelievable. This is about sports, not politics. In Cuba, baseball is our culture. Everyone was so anxious to see these games."

Said Victor Rengion, sitting on a park bench in central Havana, "Everyone from Fidel to little boys are born with a bat in their hands."

Cuba has played in the U.S. before. In the 1990s, the Cubans played in the Olympic games as well as the Pan American games on U.S. soil. In addition, the club played several times in invitational tournaments.

This decision came as a surprise to everyone in the baseball community. There is absolutely no justification. Paranoia is striking deeper and deeper into the U.S. culture.

To me, there is only one solution. However, because many teams are looking forward to this inaugural championship, they may feel that an injustice has occurred, but they would not jeopardize their chances at playing. The solution is to boycott the tournament.

On top of saying no to the tournament, baseball leagues worldwide should boycott U.S. manufacturers of baseball equipment. There is enough excellent-quality baseball gear made in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Europe that a boycott against U.S. goods will not make teams have to play with inferior equipment.

The only thing the U.S. likes as much as power is money. I am sure that if the international baseball community struck at the purse strings of companies, such as Wilson and Rawlings, that manufacture baseball equipment, you would see the mostly apolitical management of the sporting goods firms quickly take Cuba’s side.