IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 8 ENGLISH | Page 25

the hastily flight of ballplayers outward
explains why the national teams are
losing today in international events.
Actually there is a reciprocal correspondence between cause and effect.
The players are disappointed facing the
general setback suffered by Cuban
baseball, while the constant losses
increased because fewer and fewer
players remain competitive. Amid this
uncontrollable vicious circle, the authorities are unable to prevent that both
athletes and their fans find out what´s
going on. Any news about how well
those who fled are doing spreads like
wildfire. In the social gatherings, people
used to discuss in detail the national

series, but now the outstanding issue is
the performance and earnings of the
escapees as millionaire players in the
MLB. The number of attendees to
baseball games at any stadium and of
those who follow them on television or
radio are decreasing in an alarming
scale every year. It´s outrageous that
Obama's visit to Havana was the only
incentive for the authorities to repair the
Latin-American Stadium, the emblem
of Cuban baseball in the main capital
and the venue of their main contests in
the country. For a long time, the ceilings and the stands remained in total
disaster.

The Latin American Stadium
Due to a progressive deterioration, the
electric board confused the attendees
instead of informing them. Many deficiencies in the ground surface not only
hindered the smooth running of the
game, but also exposed the players to
accidents. The entire drainage was bad

... Anyway, for over 40 years or more,
undaunted sports officials paid no attention to the gradual collapse of the stadium, built in 1946, remodeled in the
1970s, and since then abandoned to
their fate. Meanwhile, both athletes and
fans do not stop to ask where the gov25