Play Ball

Baseball is life in the Dominican Republic, it is the dream of every boy and his family, it is the favorite pastime, and men and boys of all ages play and practice weekly, if not daily. But “the dream” of playing in the MLB in the United States is a far journey that only a handful of players will actually achieve. Yet, a culture of poverty and a few amazing success stories foster a widespread belief that a baseball contract is the escape from poverty, for a player but also his family and friends. There are undoubtedly positives and negatives to the culture and system of baseball in the DR but Dominicans seem to have little fear of the fairly obvious downfalls of starting children as young as 10 in serious baseball programs in dreams that they will make it to the Major Leagues.

The American baseball training program “I Love Baseball” (ilovebaseball.org) reports that in 2006 the MLB was investing $84 Million in potential Dominican players and training programs and all 30 MLB teams currently have academies in the DR.  “20 current MLB players were featured on the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic roster.  Their combined 2013 salaries amount to $104,590,000,” (Jessop, www.forbes.com, 2013). While these 20 players are the “dream,” they had to endure a lifetime of intense training only to be signed at a fraction of American players’ contracts. In addition to the 20 major league players, 25% of minor league players are Dominican, (Jessop, 2013). For many Dominican players, playing for a MBL sponsored Dominican or US based minor league represents a middle or upper-class life in the DR.

Young boys with interest in baseball enter training programs with private coaches and managers who have contracts for a portion of the future signing with a professional academy. The legal percentage a coach or manager can take is 30% although there are many coaches and managers who take advantage of players with contracts for higher percentages and/or charge players for training programs. Boys enter these programs as young as 10. Boys cannot legally be signed into a MBL academy until the age of 16, but may pass to more professional or higher level training programs. The best type of coaches sign players but do not charge a practice fee and often purchase supplies and equipment for young players out of pocket. Like the players’ parents, coaches are betting on these young athletes to “pay off” and get signed. In many cases when children enter training programs, their coaches become their main caregiver.  “I Love Baseball” estimates that only 2-5% of players in training programs will get signed into an academy. If they are signed, they will join a MBL farm league academy. Contracts are typically $5,000 - $25,000US (of which trainers take 30%) but many academies also pay players bonuses for signing, in addition, players receive stipends while in the academy of $600 - $1,000 a month (ilovebaseball.org). For the few teens who make it to a farm league academy, the contract, bonuses, and monthly stipend can change their lives. In addition to MBL farm leagues, other organizations and groups have “academies” that may feed into US AAA or farm leagues, although the chances are even slimmer of continuing to a more advanced team. Once signed into an academy, a young player still has 7 levels to complete: DSL, Rookie League, High Rookie League, Low Class A, High Class A, Double A, and Triple A before a US MLB team (ilovebaseball.org).

Baseball is every young boys’ dream, and the dream of many parents too, but could the baseball system be another form of child abuse and child labor? While the youngest players, 10-18 are not paid in cash, they are working for future payout and are arguably paid in equipment and food. Parents often with go their responsibilities once a son has been taken on by a coach, suddenly claiming to not have the money to pay for necessities. In addition, many young boys work to pay coach fees and purchase equipment. In this situation, players practice and work every day leaving little or no time for school. Young athletes who spend their time practicing everyday from the age of 10 are left with very little education to fall back on when they no longer play.

The system of baseball, especially the high number of boys in lower level training programs compared to the small few who sign contracts into baseball academies and the even smaller number who are awarded baseball careers, leave many boys without a completed education and/or working at a young age to pay coaches and for equipment.  While there are negatives many stories and studies show, playing on a team, for a collective goal, and practicing daily can teach important life skills, confidence, and determination… skills and characteristics that many children in the Dominican do not learn in public school or at home. The pros and cons of a youth baseball system are clear, the community needs to weigh them without bias to ensure that children are protected and that baseball and family pressure to support them financially do not outweigh the importance of an education.