About the Film
STEALING HOME explores Cuban baseball at the beginning of a new century as a
country struggles to preserve not only a dated revolution, but also a
important symbol of its viability. This documentary presents Cuban
baseball to American audiences in a way that has not been previously
considered: it focuses on the role the Cuban National League plays in the
society and how that prized position is jeopardized by the recent player
defections.
The socialist revolution in Cuba redefined baseball, shifting the sport's
focus from the star athlete to the spectators who enjoy their
performances. In exchange for a national pastime that would be inclusive and
internationally superior, athletes have had to suppress personal ambition in
the interests of the greater good; they are required to play exclusively for
their home province and are restricted from playing professional baseball
abroad. The arrangement worked for a time, but the recent defections evidence
a change of attitude. Many athletes have decided that they are no longer able
to accept this implicit social contract; they have left Cuba hoping to realize some version of the "American Dream." And in turn the Cuban government, unable to guarantee
quality sports for spectators, has, in desperation, enacted laws punishing
would-be defectors for "behavior unbefitting of a model athlete."
Cuban baseball is in a state of transition. Popular Cuban National League
teams have deteriorated after losing standout players. The previously
unbeatable national team lost to Japan in the 1997 Intercontinental Cup; it
was the first international loss in decades. Spectators are outraged; fan
attendance has dwindled. And Cuban society has been forced to ask the
uncomfortable question: should the socialist approach to baseball be
preserved? For the defected players and suspended players who have endured
government harassment and public humiliation, the answer is: "not at my
expense." For the state, socialist posterity may depend on it. For the
spectators, the answer is much more complicated; they stand to lose the most.
Baseball is a primary source of free entertainment, and more abstractly,
national pride. Ironically though, it is the fans who most sympathize with
defected and suspended players, understanding perfectly the individual's
desire for self-determination.
Ultimately STEALING HOME probes a compelling socio-political question that is
fundamental to any political ideology: should an individual’s right to
self-determination be sacrificed to protect the interests of society at large? The
audience will be invited to weigh the complex interplay of costs and
benefits, and confront its own position on individual freedom versus the
collective good.
