Imagine living in a country where receiving a new bucket and a mop is considered a reward. Well, that’s exactly what life is like in communist Cuba thanks to the socialist revolution.
A bucket with a mop: That’s how Cuban baseball players are rewarded
In August 2021, the Cuban authorities gave some “peculiar” awards to boxer Ronnis Álvarez, who won first place in the pre-Pan American championship held in Guadalajara.
He received malangas, yuccas, two packs of sausages, a carton of eggs, two bottles of oil, a cake, detergent, deodorant, pumpkin, and bananas as a reward for his gold medal in the Pan American competition.
Local authorities of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (INDER) even shared photos of the young athlete behind a table displaying the meager recognition. At that time, memes and criticisms on social media flooded in.
Two years later, the ridiculousness returns to athlete awards, but this time with even fewer gifts.
The Santiago de Cuba Baseball team, the second-place finisher in the recently concluded qualifying phase of the 62nd National Series, received a gift package from the province’s sports authorities..
As seen in a report from the state channel TurquinoTeVe, each player received a bucket with something inside.
The independent media outlet Diario de Cuba confirmed with sources close to the team that inside the bucket there were two mops and a bedsheet, among other items.
Meanwhile, the Facebook page “Tírale aunque te ponches” (Take a swing if you strike out) published the recognition and jokingly added that the Granma team needed the buckets more because they don’t have water facilities in their bathrooms.
In the images making the rounds on social media, Osday Silva and Euclides Pérez, two of the eastern team’s star players, are shown. Santiago, an emblematic team in Cuba, managed to make a comeback to the playoffs after years of absence.
Like I keep telling you people, the savages must be continually humiliated so they will know their place. And they’d better smile and at least act like they’re grateful, too. Gracias, Fidel.