Professor of English, Director of the National Writing Project in New Hampshire and PSU’s very own Meg J. Petersen gave a very intriguing and eye-opening presentation last night from 4-5 pm titled, “Desperation and Dreams: Baseball and the Dominican Republic.” The opening line, “David Ortiz, he is just like me. He is a lefty like me, and he comes from my country. Someday I will be in the big leagues like him, with God’s help,” (Dominican child quoted in Rumbo a las Grandes Ligas) speaks for most or almost all of the Dominican male children and teenagers.
For male children/teens in the Dominican Republic, their only hope for a good life, to provide for their families, and to feel like life is worth it, is to play baseball professionally. America’s favorite pastime has a whole different meaning to Dominican players. To them, baseball is an opportunity to rise above their hardships and give back to their struggling families and communities. Is it a rags to riches story if a Dominican teen becomes a major league baseball player, is it an exploitation story, or is it both? It is up to you to decide.
Did you know that 20% of major league baseball players and 30% of minor league baseball players are Dominican? So why is it that Dominican players get treated so differently if there are a decent number of them playing on our teams? Doesn’t playing pro-baseball in America make you a true American, a friend, a hero? Why are our players being called “hot dogs” and being subjected to other tortures of racism?
The differences between American and Dominican players’ rules are astonishing. Dominican players are not subject to the rules of the Baseball draft, meaning that they can be signed at age sixteen versus our age of eighteen, and they do not have to have graduated from high school. The teams even prefer that the teen is sixteen and the older they are the more their value decreases. Did you also know that, “you can sign 30-45 players in ‘the Dominican’ for what it costs to sign one player in the U.S?” (Steven Phillips, New York Mets)
Why is it that baseball is the only real option for Dominicans? It all boils down to education. The Dominican Republic invests less than 3% of their budget in education and their education system ranks 122/132 in Latin America. According to Meg’s presentation, for every 100 Dominican children only 75 complete grade four, 63 complete grade six and only 52 complete their eighth grade year. In hindsight, you can see why baseball is their only option because their country doesn’t give them the proper education to be able to better themselves and their families. (Proper education includes lack of supplies and teachers.)
The only things they can really learn are from buscones, or independent trainers, who work with these young adults and prepare them to be able to sign a baseball contract at age sixteen. At first, these trainers work for free because they are aware of the poverty level, then when the teen signs, up to 30% of the money goes to the buscones. Bonuses tend to be lower for Dominican players but can be higher for the more elite.
Dominican players are normally looked at in a not so appealing light due to a number of reasons. Mostly, there are a lot of problems with birth records being falsified because the teens know that the scouts want sixteen year olds and if you are older, you are not as valuable and you don’t have to be paid as much. Nowadays, things are done to prevent this such as bone marrow tests and DNA tests to prove how old the player is. In some cases, the players get accused of age fraud even when they really are the age they say they are and the Dominican government doesn’t have any sway in the matter. Another reason being steroid use, although that can be attributed to many players of many different ethnic backgrounds.
Looking at all that, what are the benefits of playing pro-baseball as a Dominican young adult? Well, first you can look at the national pride and identity that it thrusts upon its people. It has become sort of an occupation to beat Americans at their own game but also because the people can come home and provide for their families and communities.
The total annual economic impact of baseball academies in terms of dollars spent in the Dominican Republic (excluding building costs) came to about $35 million in 2005. (Petersen) Also, 2,000 jobs were created in the Dominican Republic. Lastly, there are two big things that are rewarding about this process. One being that by having more Dominican players it can help break stereotypes and the second thing it can do is bring pressure on the MLB to invest more in education and financial help of its players.
Now going back to the initial question: Is baseball a rags to riches story, a story about exploitation or can it possibly be both? Meg Petersen seems to think that both sides of this coin are true and that it is “complicated and you have to understand it within the cultural context.” What is your opinion? Do you look at it as signing a child at sixteen, handing them all this money with no proper education or financial discipline? Or do you look at it as it is a great opportunity for them to live the “American Dream?”