Pitching Democracy : : Baseball and Politics in the Dominican Republic / / April Yoder.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2023 English
• VerfasserIn: Yoder, April,
• Place / Publishing House: Austin : : University of Texas Press, , [2023]; ©2023
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (229 p.) :; 18 b&w illus.
• Other title: Frontmatter --; Contents --; Acknowledgments --; Introduction: Baseball, Democracy, and Latin America in the Cold War --; ONE Mens sana in corpore sano: Baseball and Trujillista Politics --; TWO Politics at the Plate: The Threat of Communism and the Showcase for Democracy --; THREE Criticizing Baseball, Debating Democracy --; FOUR Así se hace patria: Baseball and the Bloodless Revolution --; FIVE Sliding into Third: The Cibao Summer League and Baseball as Development --; SIX Making the Majors: The Baseball Industry and Dominican Democracy --; Conclusion --; Notes --; Bibliography --; Index
• Format: Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
• ISBN: 9781477326770; 9783111319292; 9783111318912; 9783111319131; 9783111318189; 9783110797824
• DOI: 10.7560/326763
• Access: restricted access
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: April Yoder.

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.