Today I spent the day with my favorite childhood baseball team, the San Diego Padres. While it's impossible to be fully objective, I think I can safely say they have the nicest facility in the entire country. I walked onto the complex and felt like I was back in Southern California. The architecture was stunning and the field looked out onto the ocean. The offices were huge, with state of the art furniture and equipment. They call the place where the players stay a "hotel", and it is definitely far nicer than any other academy accommodations I've seen (and for that matter, better than any place I've stayed this trip). Whereas other academies have 4-8 kids sleeping in bunk beds in a room, each room has two beds, complete with air-conditioning. The Academy Director told me that they want kids to feel like they're living in the US; job well done.
They immediately gave me a tour of the facilities, and then handed me off to the ESL/intercultural coordinator. The Padres are making a huge effort to not only teach English to the kids, but make sure they learn about US culture and customs before going to the Minor Leagues. They're trying an innovative program; every 2 weeks the kids listen to speeches about everything ranging from nutrition to US laws to American girls. In addition, they are separated into four groups for English, and get taught once a day. Antonio, my guide for the day, coordinates this process, and talked about how much he loved his job.
We took off for the local town, a place called Najayo, located almost directly on the beach. In stark contrast to the multimillion dollar Padres park (which is what they call it), it's a poor town, thatched houses, dirt roads, etc. Recognizing this juxtaposition, the Padres have made a very real attempt to make a difference in the community; they spent 13,000 (matched by USAID) to help rebuild a school. I visited the school, and interviewed the Director. Although the school wasn't nice according to American standards, the Director assured me it had gotten a lot better; the Padres had built a library, brought books, constructed whiteboards, made floors, etc. He was very appreciative of their efforts. He did say, however, that their help had cooled considerably after their inauguration (end of April) and he hoped that they would continue their support (I was told later that the Padres will, but the money for this year had run out in the budget).
I then spent some time talking to people in the community; everybody had positive views of the Padres and knew about the school. Additionally, because the academy is so close, most people had attended games (indeed there were about 100 people watching the game when I went, first time I had seen that there) and were proud of local players that were now playing for the Padres. I talked to about 15 people; young and old, male and female; they all knew the Padres and were very positive.
I then had a long interview with the Director of the Academy, Cesar Risik. He re-enforced the idea that the Padres are making a very conscientious effort to work with the community, and will budget more money during the coming year. Interestingly, they go through the US Chamber of Commerce, which helps them carry out their projects, to make sure they do a good job. They are also very serious about player development and hope the glamorous academy will not only help them get talent, but form active citizens. Cesar confided to me that they're looking to budget for a program for players that don't make it to the Minors (players they release straight from the academy). They would pay for them to go to a technical school, so they could become a mechanic, plumber, etc, and be a functioning member of society. This would be incredibly innovative, as most teams do nothing with players they release.
It was a really interesting experience; the Padres, in addition to their huge, glamorous academy, really do seem committed to making a difference in the community, and may have created a model for the rest of the country. It made me proud of the team, despite their god-awful record at the big-league level.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Day 3: Major League Baseball
Today I took a half hour bus into Santo Domingo to meet with Aaron Rodriguez, the Baseball Operations Assistant for Major League Baseball in the Dominican Republic. It was an informative interview and gave me some perspective as I prepare to visit a multitude of academies in the coming days.
MLB's Santo Domingo office, which opened in 2000, was the first international office to be established, largely in response to a growing concern for the state of baseball in the country. A lot of literature I've read castigated Major League teams for providing subpar facilities to their Latin players, treating them as cash-crops, rather than human beings (A novel, "Stealing Lives" details the life of a Cubs prospect in haunting detail, comparing his summer experience in the DR to Vietnam, as he lived in a former brothel and received no treatment for a horrific injury). Thus, one of the office's main objectives is to regulate the conditions of the academies. It seems to have worked fairly well; all of the academies I have visited have been very nice; players receive free room and board, have relatively comfortable rooms, and receive some form of an education. The office also looks to enhance the League's image throughout Latin America.
As far as community outreach programs go, Aaron emphasized that despite these regulations, each team acts as its own company. MLB does not require them to do any outreach, and he can only name about three examples of active teams (two of which I provided myself). This was a little disappointing, but makes sense. It means that if teams become serious about providing sustainable community programs, they must see how it can best beneift their interests as a company (image, good relations with the community, etc).
He also talked extensively about education. MLB requires that every team provides five hours of English classes per week to each player. Just from a few visits to academies, I know that this doesn't happen; most teams provide very sporadic classes, and there is no formal curriculum. This would be something interesting to further investigate.
As far as baseball's larger economic impact in the country, Aaron estimated that in this past signing cycle, players were promised a total of 50-60 million dollars just in signing bonuses. That's obviously a lot, especially for this country, and a lot of it is invested into the local economy.
As a common theme, Aaron emphasized what a big deal baseball is in this country. He noted that the DR is made up of 2 P's, el politico y la pelota (baseball). Again, it's easy to see the potential for baseball as a tool for community change in this country. It was a little frustrating that MLB mostly supervises the academies, and does not actively encourage them to provide education or community programs, but that's something I can address in a paper.
The rest of the day I spent traveling to other academies (Rockies, Indians, Blue Jays, Marlins) and making appoitnments. I'm getting to be pretty good friends with the cab drivers, who are both avid fans that have had family members signed into the academies. As an aside, one of them knew the guard at the Marlins facility, who excitedly noted that his son was just signed by the Giants for $100,000. The cab driver was astonished that the guard continued to work, rather than just living off his son.
Tomorrow, I'll be visiting the San Diego Padres academy, which everyone has told me is the best in the country. They also recently reconstructed a school, so I will check that out, and hopefully be able to use that as a model for a successful community program. I must say though, that after just three days of visits and interviews, I'm understanding the role of MLB in the DR a lot more clearly, which I feel is very important to concretely understand how community programs can play a positive role through the lens of the academy.
MLB's Santo Domingo office, which opened in 2000, was the first international office to be established, largely in response to a growing concern for the state of baseball in the country. A lot of literature I've read castigated Major League teams for providing subpar facilities to their Latin players, treating them as cash-crops, rather than human beings (A novel, "Stealing Lives" details the life of a Cubs prospect in haunting detail, comparing his summer experience in the DR to Vietnam, as he lived in a former brothel and received no treatment for a horrific injury). Thus, one of the office's main objectives is to regulate the conditions of the academies. It seems to have worked fairly well; all of the academies I have visited have been very nice; players receive free room and board, have relatively comfortable rooms, and receive some form of an education. The office also looks to enhance the League's image throughout Latin America.
As far as community outreach programs go, Aaron emphasized that despite these regulations, each team acts as its own company. MLB does not require them to do any outreach, and he can only name about three examples of active teams (two of which I provided myself). This was a little disappointing, but makes sense. It means that if teams become serious about providing sustainable community programs, they must see how it can best beneift their interests as a company (image, good relations with the community, etc).
He also talked extensively about education. MLB requires that every team provides five hours of English classes per week to each player. Just from a few visits to academies, I know that this doesn't happen; most teams provide very sporadic classes, and there is no formal curriculum. This would be something interesting to further investigate.
As far as baseball's larger economic impact in the country, Aaron estimated that in this past signing cycle, players were promised a total of 50-60 million dollars just in signing bonuses. That's obviously a lot, especially for this country, and a lot of it is invested into the local economy.
As a common theme, Aaron emphasized what a big deal baseball is in this country. He noted that the DR is made up of 2 P's, el politico y la pelota (baseball). Again, it's easy to see the potential for baseball as a tool for community change in this country. It was a little frustrating that MLB mostly supervises the academies, and does not actively encourage them to provide education or community programs, but that's something I can address in a paper.
The rest of the day I spent traveling to other academies (Rockies, Indians, Blue Jays, Marlins) and making appoitnments. I'm getting to be pretty good friends with the cab drivers, who are both avid fans that have had family members signed into the academies. As an aside, one of them knew the guard at the Marlins facility, who excitedly noted that his son was just signed by the Giants for $100,000. The cab driver was astonished that the guard continued to work, rather than just living off his son.
Tomorrow, I'll be visiting the San Diego Padres academy, which everyone has told me is the best in the country. They also recently reconstructed a school, so I will check that out, and hopefully be able to use that as a model for a successful community program. I must say though, that after just three days of visits and interviews, I'm understanding the role of MLB in the DR a lot more clearly, which I feel is very important to concretely understand how community programs can play a positive role through the lens of the academy.
Day 2: Una Ceremonia para los Mets
Today, I went to the opening ceremony for the academy for the New York Mets. I got there a little early, and walked around the facility for a bit. It was pretty astounding, much nicer than Baseball City. They had three fields, one which had artificial turf (the first of its kind in the country) and one which modeled the dimensions of Citi Field, where the Mets will move next year. The actual academy looked more like a hotel than a baseball training facility; the dining room was huge, the floors were cleanly swept, and the entertainment room had two large flat screen TV’s. It is definitely state of the art.
The ceremony started late, of course. President Leonel Fernandez attended, as did the US Ambassador, the GM of the Mets (Omar Minaya), and their COO (Fred Wilpon). A lot of governmental dignitaries were there, as well as all the head baseball guys from the country. I felt rather out of place, everyone seemed to know everyone, and I knew no one.
It was quite the juxtaposition; all the players were at one side of the audience, while all the well-dressed, presumably upper class citizens filled the rest. The opening seemed more about the glamour of the facilities than the players. It re-enforced the perspective that baseball is primarily a business; everybody there realized the exuberant economic benefits to such a facility, rather than the training of the individuals.
There was a great deal of emphasis on community relations. The Mets talked about their burgeoning relationship with Esperanza International, an organization that has worked with them on distributing gloves and providing money for micro grants. It is interesting that they have a formal relationship with a local organization; I will be investigating that more in the coming days. A lot of the rhetoric did center on ensuring that the academy produced more than just baseball. They talked about creating citizens that could actively contribute to the community, and the importance that the country plays in the greater scheme of the economy and political picture.
It was an interesting perspective and I’m glad I got to be part of it. It showed how big of a deal baseball is in the country, to get the President to such an event. It was also intriguing to hear so much about community development at such an event, but will be important to unravel that; and see how much of it was about rhetoric, versus action.
The ceremony did demonstrate the effect that baseball CAN have in the country. The fact that the President of the country came for the opening of an academy shows the importance they hold for the country. On a Tuesday morning, the President decided to take a few hours out of his day to throw out a first pitch (he said nothing) at an American-run academy. Pretty astounding.
After the ceremony, the Mets played the Royals on the new field. A group of American dignitaries (led by Congressman Engel from New York) watched for around three innings, and then left. After a ceremony with hundreds of people, no one cared to watch the actual game. Baseball's much more than just a game here....it's a pretty extravagant form of the economy.
The ceremony started late, of course. President Leonel Fernandez attended, as did the US Ambassador, the GM of the Mets (Omar Minaya), and their COO (Fred Wilpon). A lot of governmental dignitaries were there, as well as all the head baseball guys from the country. I felt rather out of place, everyone seemed to know everyone, and I knew no one.
It was quite the juxtaposition; all the players were at one side of the audience, while all the well-dressed, presumably upper class citizens filled the rest. The opening seemed more about the glamour of the facilities than the players. It re-enforced the perspective that baseball is primarily a business; everybody there realized the exuberant economic benefits to such a facility, rather than the training of the individuals.
There was a great deal of emphasis on community relations. The Mets talked about their burgeoning relationship with Esperanza International, an organization that has worked with them on distributing gloves and providing money for micro grants. It is interesting that they have a formal relationship with a local organization; I will be investigating that more in the coming days. A lot of the rhetoric did center on ensuring that the academy produced more than just baseball. They talked about creating citizens that could actively contribute to the community, and the importance that the country plays in the greater scheme of the economy and political picture.
It was an interesting perspective and I’m glad I got to be part of it. It showed how big of a deal baseball is in the country, to get the President to such an event. It was also intriguing to hear so much about community development at such an event, but will be important to unravel that; and see how much of it was about rhetoric, versus action.
The ceremony did demonstrate the effect that baseball CAN have in the country. The fact that the President of the country came for the opening of an academy shows the importance they hold for the country. On a Tuesday morning, the President decided to take a few hours out of his day to throw out a first pitch (he said nothing) at an American-run academy. Pretty astounding.
After the ceremony, the Mets played the Royals on the new field. A group of American dignitaries (led by Congressman Engel from New York) watched for around three innings, and then left. After a ceremony with hundreds of people, no one cared to watch the actual game. Baseball's much more than just a game here....it's a pretty extravagant form of the economy.
Day 1: Baseball City
Today, I went to a place known as "Baseball City." It houses the academies of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Cincinnati Reds, the Minnesota Twins, and Baltimore Orioles. They all opened in 2004, and are very close to each other, each with their own two fields. The physical academies are the same, and pretty nice. They have offices, a meal room, and a gym on the first floor. The second floor has all the housing for the players (they sleep 8 players to a room in bunk beds) and a large entertainment room, with a satellite TV.
I got there early, and the players were about to get into games. Their schedule is pretty set in stone; they get up around 7 AM, do basic training most of the morning, and then play a game against another team at 10:30. I got to watch some of them; it was fun and the players are very competitive. After the games, they have lunch (I got to eat with some of the players), relax, and then do English classes (although it's unclear how intense and real these really are).
I mostly spent the day making connections, but did get a good talk with the Director of the Minnesota Twins. He told me about the academy and the lives of the players, and we talked a lot about their connection with the community, which will probably be the focus of my study. He told me that they have very informal projects, such as providing equipment to local schools, helping local kids with baseball fields, and teaching baseball. It seemed it was not a priority, and they just did something when it was convenient. This should serve as a sharp contrast to other teams I visit that have formal projects (like building schools or funding programs). My overall goal is to evaluate these projects and make recommendations, so hopefully teams like the Twins can launch formal projects, rather than continuing their informal practices.
I also got to talk to an American working as an English teacher for the Twins...it was really interesting to hear his thoughts; he has done it everyday since March, and thinks that the players put a lot into learning English. He also claims that it's a good barometer for how well they do as players. I will observe his classes later this week. Problematically though, he didn't know of many other academies with teachers or classes. Although all the other academies claimed to have classes, when I went around, it was hard to find something going on.
One other interesting aspect; Baseball City is extremely close to Boca Chica, so it seems like the players can get here on the weekends. But right next to the multi million dollar facility was a small, poor town full of shackled houses and kids running around without shoes. I plan to go down there and talk to the kids to see how, and if, the academies impact their lives. It was a pretty powerful juxtaposition, however. This country is suffering through a veritable economic crisis; everybody I talk to notes the difficulties they're going through. You wouldn't know it, though, when you visit the extremely fancy Baseball City. There's a disconnect, and I hope to explore ways that baseball can help bridge the gap.
I got there early, and the players were about to get into games. Their schedule is pretty set in stone; they get up around 7 AM, do basic training most of the morning, and then play a game against another team at 10:30. I got to watch some of them; it was fun and the players are very competitive. After the games, they have lunch (I got to eat with some of the players), relax, and then do English classes (although it's unclear how intense and real these really are).
I mostly spent the day making connections, but did get a good talk with the Director of the Minnesota Twins. He told me about the academy and the lives of the players, and we talked a lot about their connection with the community, which will probably be the focus of my study. He told me that they have very informal projects, such as providing equipment to local schools, helping local kids with baseball fields, and teaching baseball. It seemed it was not a priority, and they just did something when it was convenient. This should serve as a sharp contrast to other teams I visit that have formal projects (like building schools or funding programs). My overall goal is to evaluate these projects and make recommendations, so hopefully teams like the Twins can launch formal projects, rather than continuing their informal practices.
I also got to talk to an American working as an English teacher for the Twins...it was really interesting to hear his thoughts; he has done it everyday since March, and thinks that the players put a lot into learning English. He also claims that it's a good barometer for how well they do as players. I will observe his classes later this week. Problematically though, he didn't know of many other academies with teachers or classes. Although all the other academies claimed to have classes, when I went around, it was hard to find something going on.
One other interesting aspect; Baseball City is extremely close to Boca Chica, so it seems like the players can get here on the weekends. But right next to the multi million dollar facility was a small, poor town full of shackled houses and kids running around without shoes. I plan to go down there and talk to the kids to see how, and if, the academies impact their lives. It was a pretty powerful juxtaposition, however. This country is suffering through a veritable economic crisis; everybody I talk to notes the difficulties they're going through. You wouldn't know it, though, when you visit the extremely fancy Baseball City. There's a disconnect, and I hope to explore ways that baseball can help bridge the gap.
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