HERE ARE TEN REASONS WHY THE A’S SHOULD PLAY IN HAVANA AFTER 2024

From The Press Box

Amaury Pi-González

1-Since Fidel Castro died in 2016, Cuba’s new “bosses” are hungry for big-time baseball. Cuba’s long history of pioneering baseball in Latin America is well documented. Fidel said he hated capitalism, yet he had a $1 billion fortune when he died.

2-All the best Cuban players have left the island and are now in the Major Leagues.

3-While the A’s build their new ballpark in Las Vegas, Havana, Cuba, would be the temporary home for the team.

4-Havana’s weather is like Miami, and teams could easily travel to play the A’s in Cuba. What’s another hour on a flight from Seattle to Cuba?

5-Cuba, with 11 million citizens, is a communist country. So what? China has over 1 billion people; they are also communist, and the NBA is king there.

6-The baseball commissioner will be thrilled since he loves to promote the game abroad. MLB has played in Europe, so why not 90 miles from Key West?

7-Cuba is the only Latin American country with a US League professional team. The Havana Sugar Kings were a Cuban-base minor league team that played in the US International League from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 to 1960, they were Class AAA. Baseball in Latin America has roots in the largest island in the Caribbean.

8-Fans could travel to Cuba on vacation and catch a game or two; the same will happen in Las Vegas anyway. So the A’s will be “rehearsing” their marketing.

9- The Estadio Latinoamericano (Latin American Stadium) in Havana has a capacity of 55,000. That is 20,000 more than Las Vegas proposed new park. In 1999 the Baltimore Orioles played there, and they had no problem.

10-The owners, players union, and the Office of the Commissioner will all have to approve it; just like everything else, they are the ones who run the game.