Baseball Embargo

I often look up Wikipedia to do research on unfamiliar topics I encounter in class. It is very useful in most situations, and has been growing in popularity and complexity, almost similar to Google. One aspect of their usefulness is seen by their news feature. They have current news just like any other news sites, but it is possible to broaden your knowledge of the world through links to other articles that may help explain the news.

Recently, I read about the World Baseball Classics, which has picked up popularity among viewers of the world, but not without controversy. Since it is being hosted in the US, the US was not allowing, at first, the Cuban Team to play because of their current embargo status. I guess they didn't want to let Castro profit off of this event. So Castro said that profits from this event would go to victims of Katrina. I thought that was pretty brilliant on his part. I don't like Castro too much, but I think things like this are ludicrous. I mean sports are supposed to transcend politics and whatever else, and allow the international community to come together. At least that is the impression I get from things like the Olympics, World Cup, and now the World Baseball Classic. I think it just goes to tarnish the relationship between the US and Latin America. I also think it furthers US’s image as a world police. Anyway, here is the link to the article.