Opening Day is just around the corner and with the World Baseball Classic happening right now I've had international baseball on my mind. With the recent news of Hugo Chavez's passing, an underlying conversation began about the what this could mean for the future of Major League Baseball in Venezuela. While it is somewhat known that Hugo Chavez himself was a fan of baseball and deeply involved with the Venezuelan national team, he was less supportive of MLB teams setting up baseball academies in his country. Dave Zirin pointed out in his recent article (http://www.thenation.com/blog/173233/why-major-league-baseball-owners-will-cheer-death-hugo-chavez#) that Chavez intended to change the system of these baseball academies to provide more support for these baseball prospects. This support would include player benefits and education. Will Major League Baseball be able to better establish itself in Venezuela without someone advocating for reform? Chavez not only wanted these academies to provide more support and training for the prospects but also wanted a percentage of any signing bonus to go to the Venezuelan government. Whether healthy or not, there has been a much more transparent and involved relationship between MLB and the Dominican Republic, where 28 of 30 MLB teams have academies, according to mlb.com's "Dominican Beisbol" section.
The concern is that these baseball prospects pour themselves into the sport and dedicate themselves to it but have no backup plan or protection if they get injured or do not make it to the MLB, which is more common than not. How can the MLB continue to develop prospects overseas without exploiting them or their countries? It needs to be a complete training, not just baseball. This is an interesting article about providing more education for prospects in the Dominican Republic: "Turning athletes into student-athletes" http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070918&content_id=2215711&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. What was the flaw with a program like this that it was not satisfactory for Hugo Chavez? It might be time for some evaluation and reform of the international player development process. There have obviously been many baseball success stories over the years but we need to establish a strong system going forward, not only for the future of baseball but also international relations. A common respect must be the foundation for these international player development endeavors. MLB and the United States should place an honorable legacy over finding the next superstar in the Latin American and Asian countries where they continue to seek future ballplayers.
It is a testament to Major League Baseball that "America's Pastime" has become an international game (with room to grow). But with this growth comes added responsibility and it's crucial that they continue to move in the right direction and provide the tools to help these international prospects succeed, whether that success is in baseball or not. The MLB has made itself so appealing to thousands of young athletes worldwide that many of them have given up the life they know to pursue their dream of playing professional baseball on American soil. Their families are counting on them to make it and change all of their lives for the better. But what happens if the dream turns into a nightmare? There has to be sustained training and preparation for life beyond baseball for these young, hopeful talents. It will strengthen the country as a whole and will come full circle to benefit the baseball academies and development down the road.
The concern is that these baseball prospects pour themselves into the sport and dedicate themselves to it but have no backup plan or protection if they get injured or do not make it to the MLB, which is more common than not. How can the MLB continue to develop prospects overseas without exploiting them or their countries? It needs to be a complete training, not just baseball. This is an interesting article about providing more education for prospects in the Dominican Republic: "Turning athletes into student-athletes" http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070918&content_id=2215711&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. What was the flaw with a program like this that it was not satisfactory for Hugo Chavez? It might be time for some evaluation and reform of the international player development process. There have obviously been many baseball success stories over the years but we need to establish a strong system going forward, not only for the future of baseball but also international relations. A common respect must be the foundation for these international player development endeavors. MLB and the United States should place an honorable legacy over finding the next superstar in the Latin American and Asian countries where they continue to seek future ballplayers.
It is a testament to Major League Baseball that "America's Pastime" has become an international game (with room to grow). But with this growth comes added responsibility and it's crucial that they continue to move in the right direction and provide the tools to help these international prospects succeed, whether that success is in baseball or not. The MLB has made itself so appealing to thousands of young athletes worldwide that many of them have given up the life they know to pursue their dream of playing professional baseball on American soil. Their families are counting on them to make it and change all of their lives for the better. But what happens if the dream turns into a nightmare? There has to be sustained training and preparation for life beyond baseball for these young, hopeful talents. It will strengthen the country as a whole and will come full circle to benefit the baseball academies and development down the road.
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