ABSTRACT
In the United States, the business of professional baseball is mostly driven by the ideology of a free market economy. Teams are privately held and purchased in a competitive market; teams compete for the best players, with players going to the highest bidder; and player pay tracks each player's marginal revenue of product (how much money he generates for owners). The organization of Cuban baseball offers a sharp contrast to the organization of professional U.S. baseball. In Cuba, insofar as the concept of team “ownership” applies, teams belong to the state; players earn a minimal state salary; players play for their regional team with virtually no player mobility; there is no advertising in the stadiums, on radio, or on television; and games cost just pennies to attend. Despite or because of these differences, the caliber of play in Cuba is remarkable, especially given its size (population 11 million). Until 1997, the Cuban national team went decades without losing an international competition.
