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baseballbyHurts

Links to all team communities (comment yours below to be added)

Arizona Diamondbacks - https://lemmy.world/c/azdiamondbacks
Baltimore Orioles - https://fanaticus.social/c/orioles, https://lemmy.world/c/baltimore_orioles
Chicago Cubs - https://lemmy.world/c/chicubs
Cinncinatti Reds - https://lemmy.world/c/cincinnati_reds
Minnesota Twins - https://lemmy.world/c/[email protected]
Philadelphia Phillies - http://lemmy.world/c/phillies
San Diego Padres - https://lemmy.world/c/padres
Seattle Mariners - https://lemmy.world/c/seattlemariners
St. Louis Cardinals - https://midwest.social/c/cardinals
Texas Rangers - https://lemmy.world/c/texasrangers
Toronto Blue Jays - https://lemmy.ca/c/torontobluejays
Washington Nationals - https://lemmy.world/c/washington_nationals

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baseballbyPeter Link

Cuban Athletes: An ‘Unusual and Extraordinary Threat’?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/44405034

March 10, 2026

PHOENIX, Arizona — As baseball fans around the world geared up for the Sixth World Baseball Classic, eight members of the Cuban team, along with their pitching coach and other support personnel, were denied visas to come to the United States. As a result, just 11 players were left to face a roster of 37 from the Kansas City Royals on March 3, 2026, and 33 from the Cincinnati Reds the following day.

The visa denials were a blow not just to the Cuban team, which was forced to play at a considerable competitive disadvantage; this was a blow to baseball fans across the board. And it ran counter to the goodwill of Major League Baseball and the organizers of the Classic, which draws together talent from around the globe.

The basis for the visa denial was simple; under the Immigration and Naturalization Act, Washington can deny visas to individuals from countries that it holds under sanctions. On January 29, the White House issued an executive order calling Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat.” This designation was the basis used by the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump to blockade ships carrying oil to Cuba and threaten to impose tariffs on any country daring to sell oil to the Caribbean nation.

Cuban Athletes: An ‘Unusual and Extraordinary Threat’?https://world-outlook.com/2026/03/12/cuban-athletes-an-unusual-and-extraordinary-threat/Open linkView original on lemmy.ml
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baseballbyPeter Link

Video - Despite Visa Denials, Cuba Competes in the World Baseball Classic

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/44390064

[a video about Cuba from the news collective Belly Of The Beast]

​​Cuba is once again exceeding expectations in the World Baseball Classic. The Cuban team is one victory away from reaching the quarterfinals. It was unclear a few months ago whether Cuba would even play in the WBC. Not because of baseball — but because of U.S. policy.

“We were aware that there could be denials due to the United States’ aggressive policy toward Cuba,” said Juan Reinaldo Pérez, the president of the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation. In the end, the players were granted the visas, but eight Cuban staff, including a scout and a pitching coach, were denied visas.

The Trump administration last year blocked visas for some 100 Cuban athletes and sports officials.

Cuban athletes also face pressure from right-wing activists and politicians in Miami. In the last WBC in Miami, Cuban players and their family members were harassed and had objects thrown at them.

👉Check out our article “Playing Dirty: Rubio’s War on Cuban Athletes”: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/rubios-war-on-cuban-athletes

Video - Despite Visa Denials, Cuba Competes in the World Baseball Classichttps://peertube.world/w/1wXfwd1NPpVMvheLPh1ewGOpen linkView original on lemmy.ml
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