CUBAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS IN THE UNITED STATES
History Pre-Embargo
Prior to the establishment of the present Cuban government, baseball was a common interest for the United States and Cuba, helping to bind the two countries together. Similar to its American counterpart, “Cuban baseball has always been tightly intertwined with history, politics, and social change.”21 The game of baseball began during the 1840s in New York City,22 and soon spread to Cuba, with organized Cuban leagues dating back to 1878.23 At
this time, “baseball became a cultural bridge between Cuba and the United States, with ballplayers constantly in transit from one country to the other.”24 Since there were no restrictions, from the 1870s until the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Cuban baseball stars often traveled to the U.S. to play professional baseball25 and several Major League teams participated in exhibition games or Cuba’s spring training program.26 Americans frequently played for Cuban teams and top Cuban players played in the MLB.27 Cuba’s winter league rosters often contained several major league players.28 From 1947 until 1959, Cuba provided the Major Leagues
with the leading source of Latin-American baseball talent.29 The Cuba-U.S. baseball relationship was so intertwined that several Cubans envisioned a future that included a Cuban MLB
franchise.30 However, the Cuban Revolution of 1959 brought this harmonious relationship to an abrupt stop.31