Cuban Baseball

Would you be able to guess the national sport ofin. Since then, playing this sport has become a
Cuba?symbol of their country's freedom, earning the
Most of us always picture Cuba as a Caribbeansupport of the government due to its historical
country with pristine beaches and vibrant nativesand socio-political significance. The government
dancing lively during their festivals. With itsempowers and motivates the athletes through
subdued economy and its small size, many mayseveral opportunities that serve as a venue to
not see it as a sporting country. Fortunately, thehone their skills. They established a baseball team
Cuban government promotes sports actively infor each of their provinces and municipality. The
their country. Even the youth engage themselvescapital of the country, Havana, even has two
willingly in sports like boxing, athletics and, yes, itsteams, creating a total of 16 baseball teams in the
national sport, baseball.country. Yearly, during the National Baseball
Cubans who studied in the United StatesLeague season, these 16 teams compete, with
introduced baseball to their country in 1864. Thethe emerging winner crowned as champions in
sport was well-received by the locals such thatMay.
just four years later, the Habana Baseball ClubWith this dedication from the players and the
was born and was able to give honor to Cubaunwavering support from the government of
when they defeated the Americans in a majorCuba, the Cuban flag will continue to wave high
match.during international competitions. Cuba consistently
The sport was banned in 1869, however, aswins over other Latin American countries, making
Cubans apparently liked it more than they likedthe country a major force to beat in their region.
bullfights, the sport the Spanish colonizers brought