Throughout this blog we will take a look at two different stories that are focused on the same sport, but wielded two completely different effects in different countries. The first story is called “Play Ball!” and is written by Jane Rausch. The second story is called “Raceball,” by Rob Ruck. The story “Play Ball!” is based in Venezuela. It follows a man called Juan Gomez, a man who once ruled Venezuela in ruthless and freedom-limiting fashion. The focus is on how Gomez used baseball to distract the people of Venezuela from his ironclad government inorder to keep himself in power longer. The story “Raceball” follows the effects of baseball in Cuba. This story is really focused on how baseball led to minority races being more integrated into American society. Then to how that integration led to the rise in popularity of Cuban baseball. Then finally due to that popularity Cuban baseball teams and owners began to use those profits and funds that were being generated from games, in order to supply resistance groups in Cuba. Which would eventually lead to the overthrow of Fidel Castro. Castro was also another ruthless and ironclad leader similar to Gomez.
These different effects that were brought on by baseball was something that I found really interesting. This is because when we look at soccer we saw similarities in the effects that the sport brought on even through different countries. But in the case of baseball those effects were completely different. On one hand baseball was used to create a path of liberation for an entire country. While on the other hand it was used to hide an oppressive government that lasted for nearly thirty years. These opposing effects were something that I just found really interesting, especially when compared to soccer.
