Baseball feels like the soul of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Stadiums fill with music, kids play in the streets with sticks and bottle caps, and stars rise from sugar fields to the major leagues. Yet in much of Latin America, the sport never became the national obsession. Instead, soccer rules the heart.
So why did baseball thrive in only a handful of Hispanic countries while others embraced the world’s game of soccer? A Reddit thread on r/baseball opened this question, and the answers reveal how history, culture, and even foreign powers shaped the game’s reach.
Roots in Empire and Occupation
One commenter explained that American influence in the early 20th century was key. After the Spanish American War, the United States occupied Cuba and established a strong presence in Santo Domingo. That influence, paired with Puerto Rico’s political relationship with the US, seeded the game in Caribbean culture.
Another voice added that the US also shaped Panama and Japan through military and economic ties. Where American soldiers and workers went, baseball followed. Panama, for example, became a baseball hotspot while the US managed the canal for decades. More importantly, Cuba became the first in the region to fall in love with the game. Sailors brought it after the American Civil War, and Cubans then carried it to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. From there, baseball grew into a pastime hobby that passed through families and communities.
Latin America’s Split Between Soccer or Baseball
In Latin America, sports often divide along one clear line. Some countries give their hearts to soccer while others live for baseball. The split has shaped the sports culture of the entire continent. Venezuela is the best example of this divide. It became the one strong baseball nation in South America but struggles at soccer. On the other hand, in Colombia, the story changes depending on where one finds themselves. Along the Caribbean coast, baseball is followed like nothing else, but in cities further inland, soccer takes the centerstage.
Central America tells the same story. Nicaragua has a love affair with baseball, but neighbors like Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica cheer only for soccer. On the islands, the contrast is even sharper. Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic live for baseball, while Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad build their sports culture around soccer. Mexico sits in the middle where both the sports are present and are followed closely.
Migration and Shifts in Identity
History alone does not explain everything. In the Dominican Republic, Haitian immigrants came to work in sugar cane fields where many lived in rural settlements called bateyes, where baseball became a daily escape. Elsewhere, Puerto Rico and Cuba carried the sport as part of national identity with baseball becoming a symbol of resistance and pride. By the early 1900s, Cuba had professional leagues that often played against US teams. This gave Cuban players a chance to compete internationally long before many other Latin American countries. While by 1930s, Puerto Rico had its own professional league, which later attracted star players from the US Negro Leagues, giving it more prestige and visibility.
Other voices in the thread reminded readers that cricket also shaped the Caribbean. Former British colonies like Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados grew up with cricket instead of baseball. Baseball thrived where American presence was strongest and where people made it part of their cultural soul. In other places, soccer and cricket filled that role.
