The Cuban crisis has no end. Now it’s “spreading” the intangible island sport: baseball.
As reported by sports commentator Pavel Otero, this year’s National Under-23 Series cannot be held due to the “difficult economic situation facing the country.”
“For the same reason, the National Championship in 9-10 years, the final stage of Baseball 5, the National Women’s Baseball Cup will not be possible in 2023 and the National Under-18 Championship will not be completed,” he added.
Otero determined that this reduction in the annual competition calendar does not only happen in baseball: “there are many sports that cannot complete their scheduled competitions for the year due to logistical and budgetary difficulties.”
The U-23 National Series, an event where Cuban baseball talents who aspire to become protagonists in the island’s main domestic tournament should be trained, appears to be coming to an end.
In a context of the growing exodus of Cuban baseball players – even children leave – it does not make much sense to continue the tournament in this category when the majority of those who must participate must already represent their provinces in SNB, if not. of the “consecrations.”
CRISIS IN CUBAN BASEBALL
Cuban baseball authorities have been slow to act on the matter of the destruction of their national pastime.
It wasn’t until 2013 that Cuban players were allowed to sign in foreign leagues. An experience, moreover, that did not solve the flight of talent in pursuit of the MLB dream, the lack of national team titles or the development of grassroots sports on the island.
Ten years later, in 2023, they also allowed baseball players to represent Cuba, as long as they met certain criteria. In the same way, they eliminated the repatriation requirement for those who left the country and wished to return to tournaments on the island.
Many of these measures were adopted later. Cuban sports continue to depend on allocated budgets and in a scenario of food and medicine crisis, it seems less important.
“Professional League, gentlemen. There is nothing else. The ball cannot continue depending on INDER’s budget. That is the way to reduce the exodus and have a serious championship,” said Ernesto Alejandro Gálvez Acevedo.
