America Is Undermining Its Soft Power in Sports

The pre-teen boys who play for Venezuela's Cardenales Little League are on their way to the upcoming Little League World Series.

- Adam Minter

NEW YORK — The pre-teen boys who play for Venezuela's Cardenales Little League are on their way to the upcoming Little League World Series.

Credit is due to their talent and diligence — and an exemption from United States President Donald Trump's travel ban personally granted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week.

Unfortunately, before this special waiver, their participation was far from guaranteed.

In July, a different Venezuelan Little League team, Cacique Mara, were denied US visas and a chance to play in a different event in South Carolina.

The harsh, differential treatment of two youth teams is a new phenomenon in American sports. For decades, the US was recognized for its openness to international athletes and competition. Sports generated goodwill, as well as diplomatic, cultural, and economic benefits, making it a US soft power. Now, the unwillingness to welcome athletes from everywhere is eroding it.

For as long as Americans have played organized sports, foreigners have been in the team. Major League Baseball has profited from immigrant talent since the 1870s, for example. But it was only during the middle decades of the 20th century that athletes began migrating to the US in large numbers for the express purpose of training and playing a sport.