When thinking about sports in Latin America, people might be surprised that baseball, not soccer, is the dominant sport in many countries. How did this happen?:
From Cuba To Cooperstown: The History Of Latinos In Baseball
Baseball’s introduction in Latin America occurred in Cuba, when Cubans studying in the United States returned home with a bat, ball and knowledge of the game. In addition, U.S. sailors that anchored in the Cuban waters came ashore, created a baseball diamond and invited the natives to play ("Baseball in Cuba").
Similarly, baseball spread to Venezuela and then other Latin American countries through Cuban emigration and from students returning home from the United States with knowledge of the game ("From Cuba to Cooperstown: The History of Latinos in Baseball").
Esteban Bellán was "the first Latino in the major leagues." He made his debut in United States professional baseball after completing three years at Rose Hill College. He was a key player in developing the foundation for baseball's emergence as a national sport in Cuba (Burgos, p. 17-18). His influence increased the sport’s popularity and Cuban participation.
Cuba’s Ten Years War (1868-78) had a significant impact on Cuba's relations with the U.S. The Spanish were concerned about U.S. political and economic interest in Cuba. In an effort to assert control, in 1869 Spanish authorities banned baseball in Cuba. Spain was concerned because Cubans were beginning to prefer baseball to viewing bullfights, which Cubans were expected dutifully to attend as homage to their Spanish rulers in an informal cultural mandate. Spain’s action, however, elevated baseball to a symbol of nationalism and freedom to the Cuban people ("Baseball in Cuba").
As baseball grew in popularity in Cuba, more Cuban baseball players migrated to the United States to play baseball, and more Americans participated in leagues in Cuba, further expanding baseball. Most importantly, this expansion made leagues ponder the meaning of racial and ethnic differences (Burgos, p. 32-33). Latin American players were able to play in the professional leagues in the United States as long as they were light-skinned in color; darker-skin Latinos could only play in the United States’ negro leagues. Cuban baseball was fully integrated, however, and many American blacks elected to play baseball in Cuba because they were treated better, not facing the discrimination and segregation they faced in the states.
In late 1878 the Cuban League was organized, consisting of three teams, Almendares, Habana, and Mantanzas. The season consisted of four games per team. The first game was played on December 29, 1878, with Habana defeating Almendares 21 to 20. The teams were amateurs (and all whites), but gradually professionalism took hold as teams bid away players from rivals ("Baseball in Cuba").
The Hop Bitters from Rochester, New York arrived in Cuba in 1879 to help launch the Cuban professional league's inaugural season (Burgos, p. 31). This visit helped mark the beginning of a continuous North-South exchange of talent, information, and technical expertise. The first season not only saw Cubans who had learned the game while studying in the United States but also the signing of North American professionals to perform in the Cuban league, expanding the league to new regions (Burgos, p. 32).