A Tragedy in Miami: Sympathy deserved on both sides of the Ozzie Guillen Scandal

Published in The Catalyst 

A Tragedy in Miami: Sympathy deserved on both sides of the Ozzie Guillen Scandal

Watch the Article Narrated by Sam:

“This is the worst mistake I’ve made in my whole life,” said an emotional Ozzie Guillen Tuesday morning in Miami.
Just a week into the baseball season, the top story should be the unstoppable Mets, the red-hot Diamondbacks or the unique new ballpark in Miami. Instead, the media frenzy surrounding the Marlins manager’s comments about ex-dictator Fidel Castro have dominated Sports Center and the blogosphere. 

In the now infamous interview with TIME magazine just a day before the Miami Marlins announced Guillen’s five-game suspension, Ozzie uttered four words that will forever be remembered. “I love Fidel Castro.”

No four words could serve as a more painful insult to Cuban Americans. Nobody could have been in a worse position to say it.

The Marlin’s brand new stadium is smack in the middle of Little Havana and Guillen, who is from Venezuela, was originally brought in to help appeal to Cuban Americans, who have always represented a staple of the fan base.

Looking to avoid a potentially dangerous and unavoidably furious encounter with fans, the Marlins suspended Ozzie for five games to help him achieve reconciliation and forgiveness with the Cuban community.

“I know I caused a lot of people pain. I know I hurt a lot of people” Ozzie said on Tuesday. “I had imagined that the moment with this many reporters in one room looking at me would be with a World Series trophy beside me. But it’s this instead.”

Wisely, Guillen provided no reminder of the dictator’s name in his apology. Cuban Americans need no lesson on Fidel Castro. If they did not escape his communist regime, it’s likely there parents or grandparents did.

With a per capita income of $9,900 in 2011, Cuba remains one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere. Under Fidel Castro food shortages, horrific health care and a brainwashing, anti-American education system are only the half of it. Castro’s Cuba has isolated itself on the world stage as one of the most brutally repressive and authoritarian governments on the globe. Historically strict censorship and a complete lack of press freedom put Cuba on par with North Korea and Iran. While political prisoners are supposedly sentenced 14-17 years for any anti-Castro remarks or affiliations, many prisoners are held far longer.

Cuban Americans live very different lives. They are the most privileged immigrant group in the United States, with a greater abundance of wealth per capita than average Americans. Cuban Americans are 25% more likely to have a college degree than Caucasian Americans. According to the U.S Census, Cubans comprise less than 4% of the U.S. Hispanic population, whereas Mexicans, for instance comprise 65%. Yet of the top 100 richest Hispanics in the U.S., more than 50% are of Cuban descent- a figure ten times what it would be if all wealth were even.

Cuban Americans also widely known as the most patriotic and conservative immigrant group in the United States. And there is no mistaking their political views. An overwhelming majority of Cuban Americans openly express their disdain of Fidel Castro. In Cuba, Cubans are mandated to attend all staged pro-Castro rallies. If they do not attend, they face prison time. Doctors in Cuba are paid just $15 a month are mandated to keep political records of their patients. There is no right to doctor-patient privacy, patient's informed consent, or right to protest for malpractice. The patient has no right to refuse treatment, even based on a religious or ethical ground.

The humanitarian Crisis that continues to exist in Cuba under Fidel Castro’s brother Raul is a topic constantly on the news in Miami, reminding Cuban Americans there why they came to America. Guillen’s comments served as a crude slap in the face to these people.

To give one an idea of how serious the situation is, NBC News has reported that several investigations are underway concerning death threats Ozzie Guillen has received in the past couple days.

What’s done is done. Ozzie Guillen, well known for homophobic and racially insensitive comments, has made the mistake of opening his mouth on yet another political issue. Yet this mistake is far bigger and far uglier than any mistake he’s made in the past. It will likely stick around and be debated and discussed for years to come.

Guillen’s apology Tuesday morning was indisputably sincere. No matter where you stand, the overwhelming guilt, if not fear that he is enduring, is unimaginable. I cannot help but feel sympathy for him. While the Cuban American community is united in their disappointment and anger at Ozzie, he is alone in his sorrow. I cannot help but feel sympathy for both sides.

All that said, it is hard to imagine the calls for Ozzie Guillen’s firing won’t grow. Miami’s Cuban Americans are likely to use this opportunity, as they have used many others in the past, to make a strong political statement. They do not wish to forgive someone who claimed they “love” Fidel Castro. Their hatred of Castro will continue to fuel the fire. It is hard to imagine they won’t get what they want. I say, Ozzie will be fired by the end of the season.