‘Fost Tae Sronrs DOCUMBSTARY INJAS SPORT HISTORY Playing for the Nation, Fighting for the Revolution: Documentaries on Cuban Sports Juan Cartos RODRIGUEZ School of Modern Languages Georgia Intoute of Technology “the athe dass Mata Fula Doug sano Calan Jorge a Sacer he ep wth i seh tC. Cceondens jn odequenodanp grec Serimer 2014 225Journal. oF Sport History ro ICAIC, was suspended Alvates, he Cuban Fim the symbolic defeat of the Cubaa revolution ia the Special Period? Was he suggesting the as a source of national pride by documenting Cuban athl exes A Abr shoes Cre Pel 196) the Cuban sport documentaries like Cer Pelado and ;Perdedorilluminate sports com- plex ole in the Cuban revolution. But chey alzo invite us to question how the culture of 26 Volume 41, Number 2 Fort: Tae Seoxts Documentary IN/AS Sr0Rt HistoRy evolution’ Soviet ( films on Cuben spo sional sports on the island by hi ceut, Cuban spore dacumentaies made ae che revolution focus almost exclusively on the nationalization of sports in Cuba, which included the emination of profesional sports the creation of amateur toumaments and th calculated transformation of Coban athletes int international charspions. Revoutionary Cuben spore documentaries under- Cuban Sports in Nonfiction Film Sports have arracted Cuban filmmaker’ attention since the twentieth cencury’s be- ‘gnnings. The caalogue ofthe Cuban Film Archive corresponding mainly © cinematic production during the republican era includes a diverse array of films that take sport as, Sports en ls Fuerzs ArmadasSpors inthe Armed Forces (1944), Pelote Nacional/National Beschall (1947), La pelea del aio entre Gavin Kid y Ben Bunker/The Fight of he Year ‘erowen Kid Gavin and Ben Bunter (1948), and El arg de a semana “Mejor! Tejas nationalized spore by replacin fen pri a apa nant ary Cuba Og the one hand ince revolutionary government not only asa politcal tool to symbolize its succes but also to Summer 2014 2JounuL oF SeoRr HISTORY ze and promote its achievements. On the other hand, through the country’s ‘ticipation of Cubans in national sport education programs and in local baseball leagues and boring toumaments International Competitions in Cuban Sport Documentaries The firs tendency is represented by several documentaries made in the 1960s and in international competitions celebrated crossing the Caribbean Sea to defect the diplomatic barsers mised by ban athletes and film crew reach shore, the film critiques Amezican colonialism in Puerto Rico by underscoring the conerast becween mass consumption in San Juan and underdevelopment in the city urban periphery. Cerro Pelado then explores to Havanas port and a festive welcoming of the Cuban delegation. The situates Cuban spore victories as symbole triumphs of Cuban socialism over American capitalism! (ther Cuban sport documeotaties dealing with revolutionary sports wansnational lees who had sepresented Cabs inernationally—ebandoned the sla grated fiom Cube wo the United States were labeled gesnor Cwouns.” 228 Volume 42, Nusnber 2 ‘Fonust: THE Sports Documentate INAS Sroxr Histor Cuban revolutionary authorities and by many compatriots who remained on the island. i of victorious atbletes in Algo més gue una medalla resembles the is tempered by the question guid- medalists: how much doesa medal 1 o post-Soviet periods. The firse documentary is a fve-minute video, The distinctions in format because ofthe scarcity of lm stack. Co tons of athletes winning medals visibly rastrated w ‘weconsider thar Alrared’ fd more capitalistic nitude, ‘with Carlo and Hadad, Alvarez originally planned ry Los perdedors to cemphasiz defeated ahlets’ points of Pededor? to question the valuation of sporting cetales in avitony or losin favor of championing vie, he believes the purpose of sports not che identifi a consistent with the Coban Summer 2014 29enhances the glory of Cuban athens vice asks viewers to consider who are the real ‘Special Petiod imposed upon zPerdedore, the vdeo asks isyet another lose. Cuban National Competitions in Sport Documentaries 2 “The second trend of spre documentaries on Cuba corresponds to films that explore examine ch political implications of baseball Special Period on Cuban baseball: scarcity of ; depletion of Cuban beseball talent due to the face that many playetsabancloned gu fearon! Those Missing (2008) interrogates how Cuban baseball sar after being suspended for three years for the populace int a festive national body poli :mentares on Cuban bascball underscore the spor sad teosons exptienced by Cubans since the collap ‘Cuban Sport Traditions beyond the Realm of Revolutionary Sports Peravino and Brennedtheorizaton of spore’ dual role of sports in the Cuban revor lution composes a useful analyte framework through which .o invertigate documentaries Theit model fills chore, however, when we consider two the historical development of sports documentaries on cra profesional sports and the incorporation of exiled 8 perspectives, Some Cuban spore documentaries made by revo 230 Volume 41, Nuomber 2 Forums Tue Sroxrs Docuwssvrany IW/AS StORT HISTORY heorec profesional and amateur sort nd, by ee ing/The Ring (1966), for example, contrasts the Cuban Bere tip naan tznal vi orend ican past to celebrate national fessional Cuban boxers before the the republic ing in revolutionary Cuba, he composed a sy pastand ‘mentary uses thes memories to probe through articulating local and transnational tensor Conclusion ‘Sport documentaries flourished in Cuba dusing the fis chicey years ofthe revolution by promoting revolutionary Cuban ineernational victories. Bs G ing different foci, chese documentaries all reflece and precipitate shifts in ivities. They serve a critical wols tha re= (Havana: EicionesICAIC, 2008). “ in A Comsrnponry Cb Reader cone and Masguerite M. Legeande (Lanka, Ma Rowman Summer 2014 231Journal Sport 7 History Vouner a1, Nowwen? Sixmaen 2014 by Pub ‘The North American Society for Sport History ‘Copyright 2014 by the North American Sociery for Sport History |10m by her Freachsounding ee re ee Contents vite oe ‘Sn 2014 Forum The Sports Documentary In/As Sport History 19] Ietroduction Travis Vagan \ Institutionalicing and Industralizing Sport History in the 195 Conemporary Spor Television Docurnentry Travis Vogan ing Sports: The Logic of the Contemporary Sports jentary Joshua Malitsky 205 215, als sNocan Opin: Spon Documenary ‘and the Poities ‘of Redemption Thomas Pasrick Oates Playing forthe Nation, Fighting for the Revolution: 220 owen on Cuban Sports Juan Carlos Rodrigues (23,3, | Football and Arab-American Muslim Identities in Fordion: {nd ied ase nines fj tae hepa ed Faith, Fasting, Poorall Zachary Ingle Decudrama, National Memory, and DAL | The Public Sp Sport History Buckie fhe Jun! of Spr Hy ar load onthe LAB Foun webs worm LAs4Foundation.org, ~ a He EASA Found ° oe