Pitching Around Fidel, A Journey Into the Heart of Cuban Sports

by S.L. Price

At the core of Cuban sports is an enigma that Sports Illustrated senior writer S.L. Price captures in two sentences. The first part of it "holds that the great Cuban sports machine--instrument of totalitarian control and propaganda--is rightfully cracking apart. The second holds that Castro's regime not only has produced an unparalleled athletic system, but has also fostered a sports purist's delight, an American ideal, no less, for Cuba is one of the last places where athletes play for little more than love of the game." How is that possible? Pitching Around Fidel smartly aligns the contradictions. It's a provocative and penetrating look at the most fascinating and rabid sports culture on the planet, why sports in Cuba works, why it doesn't, and how its marvelous and gifted athletes are torn between the loyalties of home and the whiff of money 90 miles across the sea. Cuban athletes have been put on a pedestal since Castro took power, and their achievements on the international stage have swelled the national chest and been interpreted as triumphs over capitalism. Yet as conditions on the embargoed island deteriorate, athletes who complain are banished to oblivion, while others--think Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez of the Yankees and Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez--flee for freedom and cash. Price's reportage on how freedom and money have changed many of the exiles, Ordonez most notably, is stunning. And still, despite rundown facilities and repatched equipment, Cuba keeps turning out remarkable athletes and loyal fans.Examining the state of sports on the island, Price is in effect examining the state itself, and his own relationship to sports--and the big money of American sports--in the process. While the portrait he paints is not pretty, it is fascinating. There's much poignance in the joy that emanates from Cuba's playing fields, the passion in the stands, and the shabbiness Price observes in the appearance of the great Teofilo Stevenson--the multi-Olympic heavyweight champion and the island's reigning sports icon. Not even an icon can override the revolution's contradictions. --Jeff Silverman

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mike Niebrzydowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into life in Cuba through the lens of sports. Read most of this before our trip and then finished after. The author seems to notice or recognize the tourist perspective as well as the every day life, particularly the every day life of Cuban athletes, of Havana and other parts of Cuba.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat repetitious and, of course, now out of date. A depressing portrait of the ¨special period¨

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Price is such a wonderful writer, and this book is another example of his very literary non-fiction. Very thoroughly researched book about the Cuban sports program; Price traveled to Cuba on multiple occasions to do interviews, watch games, etc. While ultimately not a glowing portrait of the Castro regime, it is nonetheless a genuine one (and one very sympathetic to ordinary Cubans), and there is no knee-jerk political tripe. The author conducts dozens of interviews, and really explores the question of why some elite Cuban athletes defect but others do not. The book also contains some very interesting anecdotes about baseball players who defect, only to ignore their Cuban wives and children after remarrying in the US.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating behind the scenes look at a part of sports we know very little about, beyond what the Cuban sport/govt. machine wants us to know. The author is very familiar with the sports scene in Florida, and by extension, Cuba. The seeming contradictions between the Cuban ideal of amateurs, playing their sports for the pure love of the game.. and the lure of the money available if they would only defect. Along the way, we learn more about life in the real Cuba.
Very well written, and relayed almost as a disappointed fan. The episode with boxer Teofilo Stevenson, still reliving his long ago Olympic heroics, are especially riveting.

[Jim Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on sports figures and institutions in Cuba around the turn of the latest century. I found the book somewhat disjointed as it describes encounters with many people in many different locations, often without providing timely background information to an uninformed reader. On the other hand, it provides vivid and compelling sketches of life in Cuba under Castro. Although the American writer, who spent extended periods of time in Cuba, works for Sports Illustrated, the book to me is much more about Cuba than about sports.

A good book for anyone interested in learning more about or perhaps visiting Cuba.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Price seems to write about a land of enchantment (Cuba) thinking that he is free from it's spell, while still being captivated by its' powers. If you don't mind some strong profanity you might really enjoy this book. If you do mind, like myself, Price still does a good job of navigating the landscape of the politics surrounding Cuban sports, but you'll have to do some navigation of your own.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. A great look at Cuban sports and life.