The Power of Baseball and Role Models in Latin America
In many countries around the world, the socioeconomic problem is so bad that they are granted the title of a Third World country. Countries that are not quite as bad, such as most Latin American countries like Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, often have trouble, on a smaller level, of creating jobs and job security for its people to inspire work ethic and incentive to raise the socioeconomic bar that has been set below average. Sometimes, all it takes is a role model; a person who is from that respective country who has made a name for themself of continental proportion to inspire the rest of the country to fight against the low standard that has been acquired. This
…show more content…
The federal government controls all international trade for the commonwealth and it does not consist of much. Fortunately for Puerto Rico, it is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit so the tourist attraction of the island is tremendous. However, because most of the jobs in Puerto Rico are government jobs, there is no real inspiration to aspire to be something greater than a government employee. This is where, thankfully so, social role models in the form of professional baseball players and others comes in to play a significant role as they represent hard work and autonomy.
The current population of Puerto Rican players in professional baseball today is around five percent. This is an incredible increase since the number of players during the eighties was only two percent. The meaning and point of this is that as can clearly be seen by the dramatic increase, the Puerto Ricans have learned through the past that hard work and perseverance pays off in the end. It is not only in baseball that this return rate can be seen. Unemployment has gone down in Puerto Rico since the eighties and although it may not be directly related to the numbers represented in professional baseball, it is role models in the community like the ones who are playing the professional sport that are creating hope and inspiring the rest of the country to excel to the best of their ability. Granted, “Puerto Rico has the dubious distinction of always suffering
American attitudes towards Latin America can be summed up as an extension of larger global directives, and the exclusion of foreign powers in the region. This was highlighted especially during the Cold War as US involvement was essentially in competition with the USSR. Latin America was therefore a mere pawn in the larger context of US-Soviet competition for global dominance. The actions and methods used are also characterized by the lack of an international authority, or an atmosphere of inter-state anarchy, which shaped their calculations in the endeavor to increase their influence over Latin America. When one analyzes the situation, it seems only rational that the United States treated its southern neighbors so, due to the geographical
Rather black people and white people are playing today other people from other countries are playing in the major leagues! Today you got one of the greatest Jose Altuve is from Venezuela and making his name in the Major leagues and other people from different countries. Today there is a baseball player named Ichiro Suzuki who is from Japan and he was a all star in Japan and he wanted to join MLB for more competition. One of the greats and future hall of fame player named David Ortiz my favorite baseball player of all time was from the Dominican republic and
As this is where a majority of the Mexican American baseball clubs started popping up. Most Mexican Americans were fruit pickers or packers and employers used baseball to “potentially increase discipline, obeisance, and productivity of its immigrant workforce” (87). Additionally baseball was used as a tool for Americanization of the workforce. It brought the workforce together once a week. The thought behind it was that a happy workforce meant they would become a more productive
There are many question about how the great game of baseball originally started and how it has grown to become Americas game that so many of us enjoy so much as little kids until till we die. Baseball is one of the only games today where the rules of the game have stayed the same since a guy named Abner Doubleday first evolved the game in 1845. Then he went on to be a Civil War hero shortly after as the game of Baseball became Americas beloved national pastime.
Not only are professional baseball players an inspiration; they are also leaders. They have risked life and limb on the field; they inspire us to be better and strive for excellence. For many fans these athletes are
"Baseball as America." Academic Search Premier. Spec. issue of USA Today Magazine 1 Apr. 2002: n. pag. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. The Baseball Hall of Fame is an iconic American landmark, which houses thousands of artifacts from baseball's crude beginnings to its current day glory. This piece is simple, yet it demonstrates what an important aspect of American culture baseball has become. The artifacts demonstrate how far baseball has come, among its highlights are Jackie Robinson's uniform, articles from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and even "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's cleats. Pictures accompany the article which adds the needed bit of glamour to illustrate how greatly baseball has influenced American
Balkaran describes the way baseball became a partime sport due to hispanic influnce. while this is fact of this remains. Stephen Balkaran Hispanics has become the most fast foundation of Americas "economic, political and social-cultural power and based on their promise, no other immigrant group in the history of our great nation has this potential." Editors, Biography.com. " Selena Biography ."
Sports in a society bring people together and help aid in people making friendships or gaining respect for each other. Baseball isn’t a traditional game that minorities play in and possibly one of the most well-known sports for segregation with the Negro League being formed for African Americans before they integrated. Whites were perceived as the better baseball players so African American and minority baseball players weren’t allowed to play with them (Jiobu, 1988). African American baseball players weren’t worse baseball players and actually had better stats and success in the Negro League. Some even believed they were worse players because they were told so by the white people who were seen as the smarter race even though the numbers said
Baseball has always been America’s national pastime. In the early and all the way into the mid 50’s, baseball was America and America was baseball. The only thing lacking in the great game was the absence of African American players and the presence of an all white sport. America still wasn’t friendly or accepted the African American race and many still held great prejudice towards them. All this would change when the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey decided he was going to sign a Negro player. Jackie Robinson was that player and Jackie Robinson changed the game, America, and history. By looking specifically at his childhood adversity, college life and the hardships he encountered by becoming the first black player
San Pedro De Marcoris, a costal city of the Republic which is the center of sugar production, is the only region in the world that has enough local talent to form a Major League baseball team. Most of the people of this sugar mill concentration are Colocos, as with most of the great baseball players of the Dominican Republic. So what is the connection between baseball and these Dominicans of English descent? Many will consider the hereditary aspect, as Colocos seem to be bigger in size than native Dominicans. However, the culture that they advocate is the major link in this relationship. The Colocos had a very organized and disciplined culture, carrying the British colonial tradition with them. This meant a certain degree of experience in benevolent societies and collective self-help, along with a strong sense of individualism. And they brought a passion for the game of cricket, which transformed into that of baseball. This attitude was carried on to the field and the approach to the game. Althouth the distinction between English and Dominican has waned, Colocos have without a doubt been the core of Dominican baseball's success,
The chapter I will be critiquing is titled “Latin America: media conglomerates” written by José-Carlos Lozano, from Artz, L & Kamalipour, Y, The media globe: trends in international mass media. In this chapter Lozano (2007) is trying to discover how the Latin American audiovisual space has changed over time to what it has become in present day. This is told by finding about dominance of US media on Latin American mass media systems and how it has changed from the 1970s to present day. The main argument suggests that in the 1970s and 1980s, the Latin American mass media system was very much dependant on the US as a whole adopting their media system entirely. As time moved on this lessened right until present day where Latin
I remember the struggles I went through at the beginning of the season. I only had 4 hits in 10 games. I worked on my leg lift, my load, everything I could think of until something worked. Then, something clicked. I was reading a book on common problems hitters have and I realized I wasn’t seeing the ball. So, I went to the cage and just stood there for hours upon hours, observing baseball's go by, but not hitting them. Then, out of nowhere, I got two hits.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the United States was the most dominant power in the Western Hemisphere. European nations conceded to the United States their right of any intervention in the Western Hemisphere and allowed the United States to do whatever they wanted. The United States took this newly bestowed power and abused it. The United States intervened in many Latin American countries and imposed their policies on to these countries against their will. A perfect example of this aggression is what occurred in the Dominican Republic in 1904. The United States intervened in this sovereign nation and took control of their economy and custom houses. A memorandum from Francis B. Loomis, the United States Assistant
I come from a place where patriotism runs through its citizen’s veins and where people face situations together, as the big community they are. In this place people are known to be loud and when someone has an issue, it becomes everyone’s issue. Puerto Rico may be relatively small in size, but big in its heart. Some people may argue that the heart of Puerto Rico is found on its people; while I debate that the heart of my beautiful island does not lie solemnly on its people, but on its cultural identity.
The sport is such an integral part of our culture today that we Americans sometimes take for granted its significance in our everyday lives. Contemporary baseball is so closely related with American ideals and identity that it often has served as an expression of patriotism. In times of national hardships, baseball has been used to encourage and rally the nation. In speaking of the emergence of America's nationalism in the historic and contemporary playing field, there are several key issues that surface. Of these issues I will specifically address the long residuals of how baseball has helped to establish our (Americans) national spirit and identity. That is the links between our heritage and national institutions and the game of baseball as a cultural and political representative abroad and unifying tradition at home. I will also address ideals and injustices. That is how baseball's acceptability has changed over time, and how this acts as a microcosm for America's changing attitudes about equality and opportunity.