Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Why MLB Teams Are Fleeing Venezuela
The Mariners are the latest Major League Baseball team to pull out of Venezuela, leaving only four such academies in the country, down from more than 20 in the late 1990s. The steady exodus is a byproduct of rampant violence and, more recently, widespread political and economic turmoil. And it is endangering one of the country’s most visible and valuable exports outside of oil: baseball players.
-------------------------------------------
Most teams no longer believe such a presence is worth the danger, hassles and costs that come with it. Stringent labor laws and a Byzantine currency system have long made Venezuela an expensive place to do business, but it has become increasingly complicated and less safe for MLB to operate there.
---------------------------------------
One incident cited by baseball executives as a turning point occurred about a decade ago at the Mariners’ academy. Though the facility is far removed from crime-ridden cities, a group of roughly half a dozen gunmen stormed the grounds and robbed the staff and players. No one was hurt, but for many MLB teams, the gunpoint holdup was a harbinger of the changes that drove them from the country.
Even Venezuelan-born major leaguers are increasingly making their winter homes in the U.S. Despite being kidnapped at gunpoint while visiting his mother’s home in 2011, Ramos continued to return for the winter in recent years. But even he has had enough. Now, he said he is applying for a U.S. green card and shopping for a house in Florida. “It’s not easy to be with a bodyguard all the time,” he said. “It’s not the life you want to live.”
-------------------------------------------
Most teams no longer believe such a presence is worth the danger, hassles and costs that come with it. Stringent labor laws and a Byzantine currency system have long made Venezuela an expensive place to do business, but it has become increasingly complicated and less safe for MLB to operate there.
---------------------------------------
One incident cited by baseball executives as a turning point occurred about a decade ago at the Mariners’ academy. Though the facility is far removed from crime-ridden cities, a group of roughly half a dozen gunmen stormed the grounds and robbed the staff and players. No one was hurt, but for many MLB teams, the gunpoint holdup was a harbinger of the changes that drove them from the country.
Even Venezuelan-born major leaguers are increasingly making their winter homes in the U.S. Despite being kidnapped at gunpoint while visiting his mother’s home in 2011, Ramos continued to return for the winter in recent years. But even he has had enough. Now, he said he is applying for a U.S. green card and shopping for a house in Florida. “It’s not easy to be with a bodyguard all the time,” he said. “It’s not the life you want to live.”
http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-mlb-teams-are-fleeing-venezuela-1430751423
Better relationships with Cuba is coming at just the right time for MLB. One door closes and another one opens.
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
