Commentary On The Film 'Ballplayer: Pelotero'

Professional baseball players work tirelessly to perfect their craft and deserve to be paid adequately. Another reason the MLBPA chooses to keep a free labor market is that with a more open labor market, team revenues can steadily increase and lead to increased player salaries. A negative side effect of this, however, is that teams can receive and use supplementary party revenues, which can help outbid competitors for top-tier free agents, and raise the cost of a player beyond the means of teams with fewer or no supplementary revenues (Zimbalist 24). Under this circumstance, which is currently the present state of MLB, a salary cap may become a sensible solution. On the other hand, if a salary cap system was in place, teams might be tempted to cheat by underreporting total revenues.

The corruption inherent in Major League Baseball has almost become a cliché. The Pete Rose fiasco shows how one man can really take the brunt of the blame that could really be shared with other, less famous, players. His being ostracized from baseball and prohibited from being in the baseball hall of fame does not obscure the fact that many

The current population of Puerto Rican players in professional baseball today is around five percent. This is an incredible increase since the number of players during the eighties was only two percent. The meaning and point of this is that as can clearly be seen by the dramatic increase, the Puerto Ricans have learned through the past that hard work and perseverance pays off in the end. It is not only in baseball that this return rate can be seen. Unemployment has gone down in Puerto Rico since the eighties and although it may not be directly related to the numbers represented in professional baseball, it is role models in the community like the ones who are playing the professional sport that are creating hope and inspiring the rest of the country to excel to the best of their ability. Granted, “Puerto Rico has the dubious distinction of always suffering

to old to play in the Major Leagues.” This, while insignificant on the surface, implies a startling

Steroids have taken over the game of baseball and more players are starting to get involved with them. Steroids are a big part of the Major League today in 2014, yet they entered the game of baseball through trainer Curtis Wenzlaff in 1992. Players and the game’s images are ravaged when they become caught up in steroids. Some of the best players to ever play the game of baseball have been caught up in steroids, including Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. Players with this level of skill are supposed to be role models for younger kids, yet younger kids see that they used steroids and are tempted to use them. When their young, impressionable minds witness steroids use, naturally kids attempt to imitate their idols. More

San Pedro De Marcoris, a costal city of the Republic which is the center of sugar production, is the only region in the world that has enough local talent to form a Major League baseball team. Most of the people of this sugar mill concentration are Colocos, as with most of the great baseball players of the Dominican Republic. So what is the connection between baseball and these Dominicans of English descent? Many will consider the hereditary aspect, as Colocos seem to be bigger in size than native Dominicans. However, the culture that they advocate is the major link in this relationship. The Colocos had a very organized and disciplined culture, carrying the British colonial tradition with them. This meant a certain degree of experience in benevolent societies and collective self-help, along with a strong sense of individualism. And they brought a passion for the game of cricket, which transformed into that of baseball. This attitude was carried on to the field and the approach to the game. Althouth the distinction between English and Dominican has waned, Colocos have without a doubt been the core of Dominican baseball's success,

The sports of the generation has shifted. Baseball, America’s grand sport was introduced to America in the 1860s bring us the joy of the game during a time of civil unrest. This small game hearted Americans as the best sport in the nation. Things are different; the game of baseball have been hit with some serious questions about plaguing the game today. The most sensation that burst onto the scene, which the glory days don’t last forever. The obvious thing is that baseball is not America’s national pastime anymore for numerous of reasons. The baseball season is too long, the games are slow and boring to watch, and the steroid era is taking over the

Major League Baseball (MLB) in America has an influx of players from across the world and many come from Latin American countries. The country of Cuba has numerous players playing in the MLB even though Cuban citizens are not allowed to leave Cuba without a permit that is very difficult to get. Most young Cuban baseball players are forced to flea the country in order to enter the MLB. These young men have to risk jail time and their lives in hopes of getting a payday in America. They are smuggled out of their country by way of boat and often with help of the drug cartels. Hopefully one day Cuban ballplayers will have the same opportunities as those from other Latin American countries and will not be forced to flea their country in

According to statistics about twenty percent of the players in the MLB are from the Dominican Republic, even though thousands of young players stride to play for professional teams ( Pelotero, Finkel, Paley and Martin). The MLB believes they can find cheap players in the Dominican Republic and still create

This Little League baseball scandal took place in 2001, a little before the devastating day of the Twin Towers’ attack. Danny Almonte, a fourteen-year-old boy, was accused and for cheating in the Little League by lying about his age. The age requirements to be in these teams is 9-12 years of age, so Danny was about 2 years off. Him and his team made it to the Little League World Series, however had to forfeit before the last round, due to Sports Illustrated wanting to dig into Almonte’s information, being their nosy selves, they found what they wanted. They found Almonte’s real birth records from Dominican Republic, where he was originally born, that showed he was actually fourteen.

For prospects that are forced into the minor leagues for development, the road to the majors has proven a grueling process and the majority of players never make it to the major leagues. Extremely low salaries and bonuses in the minor leagues has become an ongoing, controversial topic between MLB commissioner Bud Selig and minor league players 17. A fast food worker makes between $15,000 and $18,000 a year, which is two or three times as large as minor league players’ average salary, so minor league players are forced to have multiple jobs throughout the year 18. The majority of minor league players lie below the federal poverty level and while MLB salaries are rapidly increasing, minor leagues salaries remain constant. The MLB receives exemptions

Despite foreign players being equally skilled or even possibly being better skilled, their starting salaries are not equal to the salaries of their United States born counterparts. Americans trying to make it into the major leagues for the most part have already received an associate degree or higher because of the stricter regulations they enforce on the players. Although not a full education, those players who at least completed high school and a few years of college have a backup plan in case baseball falls through, something that not every Dominican can say. From this perspective the American baseball player has multiple options to branch off if the baseball career does not succeed as planned, while the Dominican has dedicated his entire life to the sport. Foreign players give up almost everything in their adolescence years due to the fact that they see baseball as the gateway to escaping the never ending cycle of poverty in their homeland. While American players are almost reassured a successful path whether that be through the sport of baseball, or through an education. The adversities that Dominican players encounter when coming overseas to play on American soil is mentally

The minor league system is also referred to as an organizations farm system. These minor league systems are split into many different levels such as: Triple A, Double A, Single A (both low and high), Rookie ball, and other lower level instructional leagues with Triple A being the highest and closest level to the Majors. What is quite unique about Major League Baseball’s minor league system compared to that of other such Professional sports leagues is that it is comprised of such diversity. The minors have players from US colleges, high schools, but also from all over Latin America. Major League Baseball has established itself in Latin America as a premiere way for these young kids who are looking for a way out of their developing nation to find success in the American dream. While the MLB focuses much time and effort all over Latin America, this paper will focus primarily on how Major League Baseball helps developing nations specifically the case of the Dominican Republic.

At the start of the 2012 season, Latin American players make up forty-two percent of the minor leagues and twenty-four percent of the major leagues. Six of the top twenty-five highest paid players in the major leagues are Latin American players (Gordon). Yet, out of the hundreds at academies all over the Dominican Republic, less than half will ever leave the island. Out of all of the prospects in these academies, less than three percent will ever step to the plate in a major league game. Compared to American prospects where nearly seventy percent will at least make it to one level of the minor league system. American born prospects are also four times as likely to make a major league team roster, with their signing bonuses being an average

Since MLB started building baseball camps in the Dominican Republic in the 80’s; the DR has been home for the majority of foreign-born baseball players. Foreign Dominican players are signed for much less money compared to American players, more than two times less.