August 13 (Belly of the Beast) “The [U.S.] blockade makes things hard. A Venezuelan can just sign a deal through an academy in Venezuela. A Dominican can be scouted in a Dominican academy and be signed. Not Cubans though. Cubans have to go through a lot to get to the MLB.” – Dayron Varona, former professional baseball player
Dayron Varona made an incredible full-circle journey, from Cuban defector to a symbol of how normalizing relations between Cuba and the U.S. could bring the two countries closer together.
This year, Varona was back in Cuba, once again helping build bridges between the two countries.
Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández sat down with Varona to talk about his career, the historic game he played in Havana with Barack Obama in attendance, and how sanctions are an obstacle for Cuban baseball players who want to pursue their dream of making it to the big leagues.
Watch the interview HERE.
