Abstract
In December of 2018, Major League Baseball (“MLB”) signed an agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation that would forever change how the MLB acquires its Cuban talent. The agreement established a formal process of immigration from Cuba to the United States for professional baseball players, replacing the decades-old practice of smuggling players into the United States with the help of dangerous human trafficking organizations. In April of 2019, during its decision to revert back to the traditional foreign policy strategy with Cuba, the Trump Administration scrapped the deal in its entirety, bringing the process back to square one. This Note tracks the political history between the United States and Cuban since the Cuban Revolution, and expounds on its effect on America’s pastime. While the agreement has been nullified, the groundwork has been laid to finally do away with the archaic process of Cuban defection. However, until lawmakers in Washington D.C. decide to address the human rights abuses that ultimately put Cuban baseball stars in America’s stadiums, the status quo will remain.
Recommended Citation
Van DeGregorio,
Reversing Progress: The Trafficking of Cuban Baseball Players Continues After Cancellation of MLB-FCB Agreement 103,
65
St. Louis U. L.J.
(2021).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol65/iss2/7