As I took the time to reflect upon the idea of the Final Four. Which is also the title of the Men’s and Women’s College Basketball final tournament, (National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA), I drew inferences from bible passages to connect with the number 4, please see tweets below:
I later reflected upon a win and a loss at a competitive level to also associate ideas from: crucified / crucifixion / Christ. While within a society or nation we are conditioned to accept a win or a loss, the emotional responses of each are inevitably what we have to cope with.
For instance: a loss as connected with the example of the #FinalFour is difficult as one feels sad or even a kind of rejection. And we must continue to try again and never give up. Which is also a part of sportsmanship and to compete. Especially as sports or even the T.V. / film industry is very competitive. One is passionate and desires to succeed, to draw upon the Passion of Christ!
These are some of the thoughts I reflected upon as I learned about individuals who were attending the Miami Marlins Stadium, Miami, Florida, USA, for the World Baseball Classic 2023. Officials were warning against protesting and censoring individuals for carrying signs, wearing T-Shirts / clothing, or chanting for the Free Cuba Movement, such as: #SOSCUBA, #CubaLibre, Patria y Vida, Dios, Patria Libertad, as the Cuban Regime finds it offensive.
While I know that at the time the match was between the USA and Cuba, I didn’t think censorship should have happened, given the examples from #BlackLivesMatter; as Sports teams and individuals worldwide stood in solidarity with the protests. Now of course I don’t want to sound rude or offend any individuals of particular “races” and so on, but I do think that the silent atrocities that force individuals, such as Cuban’s to remain silent, do require voices of solidarity for advocacy.
I appreciate that Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) did show support and concern for Cuba, given the shared concerns between Miami and Cuba. I also think that ideas associated with race fragility cannot be evoked with this conversation, given that Cuban’s and American-Cuban’s identify with multiple ethnic backgrounds, such as: Spanish, Portuguese, European, African, Caribbean, Latin / South American descent and so on. This is of particular importance to note. “Cuban identity that transcends race remains one of the two most important pillars of Cuban nationalism.” (Gibson 2014; Ferrer, 2021). Hence; Cuba’s independences’ were borne from notions of racial equity.
It is with these thoughts I would like to continue to encourage student athletes that compete for school / college teams / professional athletes and all who desire to succeed in Sports / Athletics of all-kind. I also thank Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) who took it upon their shoulders to support individuals in Miami. Especially as a mechanism to reduce risks, know that voices are heard, to help eliminate / curb any-kind of violence during the time.
And as per good sportsmanship I congratulate all the winners of the Final Four Tournament, the Men’s University of Connecticut, UCONN Huskies, the Women’s Louisiana State University, LSU Lady Tigers, and Japan for the World Baseball Classic 2023.
Related Blog Posts |
- WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC FINAL 2023.
- WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 2023!
- CONGRESS’ NOTIFICATION OF CUBA’S INVITATION FROM PRESIDENT BIDEN.
- Book Reflections | “CUBA: AN AMERICAN HISTORY” Ada Ferrer.
- CUBA | FUERZA MATANZAS.
- VIVA CUBA!!
- AMERICA’S AMERICAN-CUBAN POLITICAL COMMUNITY.
- 9th Summit of the Americas – IX Cumbre de las Américas!
- REFLECTIONS ON REGIMES.
- Image 1 – Link
- Image 2 and 3 Twitter link and handle .@MsSsHussain
- Image 4 – Instagram post from .@MarcoRubio
- Image 5 – Instagram Post from .@maelvirasalazar
References:
Ferrer, A. (2021). Cuba: An American History. Scribner. (Please see Page. 141.)
Gibson, C. (2014). Empire’s Crossroads: The Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day. Pan Macmillan.
Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on April 15th 2023. All views and opinions are my own and are cited as per required. Thank you for your continued readership!
With Love & Kindness! 🇺🇸
{HEART'S, FOREVER!} 
