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Pitching democracy : baseball and politics in the Dominican Republic / April Yoder.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culturePublisher: Austin : University of Texas Press, 2023Copyright date: ©2023Edition: First editionDescription: xi, 215 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781477326763
  • 1477326766
  • 9781477327166
  • 1477327169
Subject(s):
Contents:
Introduction. Baseball, democracy, and Latin America in the Cold War -- Mens sana in corpore sano : baseball and trujillista politics -- Politics at the plate : the threat of communism and the showcase for democracy -- Criticizing baseball, debating democracy -- Así se hace patria : baseball and the Bloodless Revolution -- Sliding into third : the Cibao Summer League and baseball as development -- Making the majors : the baseball industry and Dominican democracy.
Summary: "This book focuses on the history of baseball in the Dominican Republic, especially the sport's political ramifications. Yoder argues that Dominicans kept their sense of democratic idealism in part because they were intertwined with the aspirations of baseball as it developed into a transnational industry. Baseball became economically central to the Dominican Republic at the same time as the country was turning toward concerns of development, resulting in an economic and political "Third Way" that drew from both the Cuban and US models"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 796.357 Y54 Available 33111011269079
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

How Dominicans contribute to Major League Baseball and what they receive in return.



From Juan Marichal and Pedro Martínez to Albert Pujols and Juan Soto, Dominicans have long been among Major League Baseball's best. How did this small Caribbean nation become a hothouse of baseball talent? To many fans, the answer is both obvious and disconcerting: pro teams use their riches to develop talent abroad, creating opportunities for superhuman athletes and corrupt officials, while the rest of the population sees little benefit.

Yet this interpretation of history is incomplete. April Yoder traces how baseball has empowered Dominicans in their struggles for democracy and social justice. While the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo saw the sport as a means of cementing its power at home and abroad, the Dominican people fashioned an emancipated civic sphere by seeing their potential for democratic success in their compatriots' baseball success. Later, Dominicans articulated demands for democracy, economic opportunity, and civil rights through successful calls for public support of amateur and professional baseball. Today, Dominicans continue to demand that incentives for the baseball industry foster human as well as economic development. A revelatory and innovative history, Pitching Democracy restores agency to the Dominican people and honors their true love of the game.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction. Baseball, democracy, and Latin America in the Cold War -- Mens sana in corpore sano : baseball and trujillista politics -- Politics at the plate : the threat of communism and the showcase for democracy -- Criticizing baseball, debating democracy -- Así se hace patria : baseball and the Bloodless Revolution -- Sliding into third : the Cibao Summer League and baseball as development -- Making the majors : the baseball industry and Dominican democracy.

"This book focuses on the history of baseball in the Dominican Republic, especially the sport's political ramifications. Yoder argues that Dominicans kept their sense of democratic idealism in part because they were intertwined with the aspirations of baseball as it developed into a transnational industry. Baseball became economically central to the Dominican Republic at the same time as the country was turning toward concerns of development, resulting in an economic and political "Third Way" that drew from both the Cuban and US models"-- Provided by publisher.

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