Latin America
Related: About this forumCuba to allow athletes to play in foreign leagues
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/cuba-lets-athletes-compete-foreign-leagues-20393326The measure promises to increase the amount of money baseball players and others are able to earn, and seems geared toward stemming a continuing wave of defections by athletes who are lured abroad by the possibility of lucrative contracts, sapping talent from national squads.
It was not immediately clear if the ruling would let Cuban baseball players jump to the U.S. Major Leagues without restrictions imposed by local or U.S. government policies.
Cuban athletes will have to pay taxes on any earnings from foreign clubs, and the 51-year-old U.S. embargo outlaws nearly all American transactions with the Cuban government.
"A change in Cuban laws does not affect our licensing procedure," said John Sullivan, spokesman for the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces limits on transferring money to Cuba.
Athletes will be eligible to play abroad as long as they fulfill their commitments at home, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported. For baseball players, that means being available not only for international competitions but also the November-April domestic league.
"It will be taken into account that they are in Cuba for the fundamental competitions of the year," Granma said.
The paper said the decision was approved at a recent session of the Council of Ministers, which is headed by President Raul Castro.
"International experiences, including 10 sporting laws of various Latin American nations, were studied," it added.
Even if Cubans have trouble playing in the Major Leagues, it's easy to envision ballplayers playing in Mexico, Japan, Venezuela or other countries during their off-season, something that has happened before in isolated instances.
Alfredo Despaigne spent this summer with the Pirates of Campeche, Mexico. Previously, Omar Linares played in Japan.
In the 1990s, some athletes in other sports such as volleyball played in European leagues.
A number of athletes, especially baseball players, have defected in recent months and years. They include Yasiel Puig, who signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Professional sports were outlawed under Fidel Castro in 1961, two years after the Cuban Revolution.
Granma also announced raises at home for athletes, including bonuses for individual achievements and collective awards for team success.
Baseball players who appear in 70 percent of league games will be awarded $208. League leaders in hitting and other categories get an extra $41. The team that wins the title gets $2,700 to split.
Players in the National Baseball Series will earn $41 a month, and Olympic medalists around $63.
It's not clear what athletes were paid before, but monthly state salaries in Cuba average about $20 plus the social benefits provided to all islanders.
On top of that they'll get a monthly "stimulus" for international achievements, ranging from $26 for being on national squads to $104 for an Olympic gold medal.
Medalists will also continue collect lifetime monthly awards of $100 to $300.
The new rules do not appear to apply to athletes who left in the past, either through defection or other means, such as champion hurdler Dayron Robles who left for Europe after being released from his commitment in Cuba.
They take effect for baseball players when league play kicks off in November. For all other athletes, they begin Jan. 1.
Guess they realized they were having trouble with a lot of athletes defecting whenever they came for a visit. Yet again another reform which slowly brings Cuba to a more capitalist society.
Mika
(17,751 posts)The US's "wet foot/dry foot" and Cuban Adjustment Act allows Cubans - no matter how they get here - to become instant legal immigrants... With INSTANT ACCESS to all of the socialist programs the US offers.
This policy applies to Cubans only.
Imagine how many "defectors" would come here if the US offered such a program to other Caribbean and/or Latin American nations.
Marksman_91
(2,035 posts)That's not the point. The real question is, if Cuba is such a socialist utopia, why are there so many who do everything they can to leave that country in the first place? Not only that, they leave it in exchange for the chance to live in the capitalist society of the US. Hell, the athletes are all practically government employees, the very people who likely benefit the most from the Cuban government system, and you still see a lot of them taking advantage of the wet foot/dry foot policy to leave their home country behind to stay in the US.
Mika
(17,751 posts)Hell, millions of aliens are pouring in daily from so called democratic countries w/o any perks that Cuban get.
No one believes that "socialist utopia" doggerel you peddle, not here, not there.
I think you're missing the point I'm making ... they're not "defecting".
I know this to be fact .. many Cuban "defectors" return for a visit to Cuba every year ... another exclusive perk.
What kind of "defector" returns annually for vacations and family visits?
Marksman_91
(2,035 posts)Or maybe you just haven't read the word's meaning in a while? Defecting means, and this is taken from a dictionary, to disown allegiance to one's country and take up residence in another, which says nothing about whether they can revisit the country they defected from or not in different legal conditions. That is what all these athletes were essentially doing, they were leaving Cuba and staying in the US with the prospect of staying there as residents, leaving their Cuban citizenship behind, and maybe also in the hopes of gaining American citizenships at some point. It doesn't matter from which country you're from or if people of your nationality have special privileges in the US once they step foot in its territory, the Cubans just happen to have it a lot easier than any other nationality because of wet-foot/dry-foot policy. Or do you honestly think that those defectors are going to re-visit Cuba as Cuban citizens, where they can be apprehended and jailed for the fact that they attempted to flee the country? No, once they have US citizenships, they can go as they please to Cuba because they're not visiting as Cubans anymore, but as Americans, and are diplomatically protected because of this. They still are technically defectors because they essentially moved out of the country without Cuban governmental permission and changed citizenship.
Mika
(17,751 posts)No matter how they got here - either a US immigration visa, or by illegal means.
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)1 trip every three years, etc. Obama lifted the restrictions big time in 2009. Before that only people with connections could go there easily. Since then it blew up.
But for Cuban-US immigrations who gained citizenship they lose their citizenship on the island. Cuba doesn't allow dual citizenship.
Note: it is uncontroversial that Cuba would allow more wealthy US Cubans to come to the island, even if they left without an exit visa (when it was a thing). Visitors are money.
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)It would've affected you in other ways, got you blacklisted (see Yoani for an example).
You have to understand though that someone who was able to get an exit permit has already climbed the ranks in the Cuban oligarchic hierarchy.
The punish for leaving the island without an exit permit was always severe, because the people leaving are probably never coming back, and they haven't climbed the ranks to earn their ability to leave.
Since the exit permit has been done away with (finally) the explosion of US-Cuba Visa's has exploded.
It's unclear whether or not this will actually impact US-Cuba immigration for the simple fact that those living in Cuba still have an advantage if they have contacts in Miami. They can be runners for goods, they can make some serious money.
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)Why is that, one must wonder. Could it be that both sides benefit from the policy and whoever changes the policy first wins?
Now you have the opportunity for great Cuban baseball players to continue playing in the US, while earning millions, and making the Cuban government look great.
I'll note that with the change in the exit Visa US Visas for Cubans have gone up 79%. I think it's unlikely that those Cubans are going to give up their Cuban citizenship (Cuba does not allow for dual citizenship) just to become a US citizen. We'll see when the statistics come out.
Mika
(17,751 posts)From your Jamaica Observer link (w/bold = mine) ...
http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/latestnews/Cuba-says-79--rise-in-US-visas-issued-to-islanders
Cuban authorities are reporting a 79 percent jump in the number of US nonimmigrant visas granted to islanders.
The USA offers over 20,000 immigration visas to Cubans every year. Not all are applied for.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)Mika
(17,751 posts)http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/01/dont-expect-the-majors-to-benefit-from-cubas-liberalized-rules-for-athletes/
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)Mika
(17,751 posts)I guess that the US's ridiculous sanctions would be a good reason for them to "defect" to the US.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)Cuban players will continue to be compensated despite Cuban laws. Players who go to third countries may decide to go to the Us from those countries and play in the big leagues or other profitable sports. You might call that defecting.
Mika
(17,751 posts)Nice attempted deflection of the point. Fail.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)And forget about Cuban laws. I would think a multimillion dollar contract would be pretty strong incentive. They could transfer earnings to a bank in a third country and let let Cuba worry about compliance with cubanlaws. Cuban government. FAIL.
Judi Lynn
(160,527 posts)If they did get paid, they couldn't use them for propaganda, could they? Couldn't claim they "defected" as in old 1950's U.S. suspense movies!
Jesus H. Christ.
Now that you put your finger on the answer, it could NOT be clearer.
Anyone who can't figure this out doesn't want to admit it. That's all. It's as plain as it can be.
By the way, has anyone heard from Joe Cubas, the U.S. sports scout who followed Cuban athletes all over the world, wining, dining them, begging them to defect to the U.S. and then play for teams here and make big bucks?
[center] [/center]
It was very worth noting when the players sued him for having cheated them by stealing their money once he got them here, and he was banned from associating himself with U.S. professional sports. Scumball.
Mika
(17,751 posts)As you well know, the US sanctions were specifically designed to ruin the Cuban economy.
Then, when the Cuban economy is impacted - blame Cuba and call economic refugees "defectors".
Same goes for late-to-arrive internet and related infrastructures. Caused by US sanctions - blame Cuba.
Same applies to this latest sports development.
Some pretend that it doesn't exist. Their 'blame Cuba' rhetoric is consistent.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)Cuban players will continuento receive compensation