Saturday, January 16, 2016

Quick Hit: All 30 MLB Teams to Have Spanish Interpreter by 2016


This game that we all love and call Major League Baseball is growing more and more by the day. As the game continues to stretch all across the continental United States we are also witnessing the growth of the game and the sport worldwide. MLB is already spreading its wings into Cuba, China, and all across Latin America which could cause a challenge when it comes to the language barrier. Commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred has a plan and he has the solution to this little bump in the road and his plan is to have full-time Latin translators for the 2016 season and for all 30 MLB teams, and it’s a mandatory joint effort between MLB and the Player’s Union.

The move is designed to bring uniformity and peace of mind to the Spanish speaking players in the game today. Certain accommodations have been made for Asian players, see Hiroki Kuroda and his full-time translator the Yankees paid for during his three year tenure with the club and Masahiro Tanaka's current sidekick, but the same has not been afforded players from Latin speaking countries. Well until now.

Some will say “well let them all learn English if they want to live here” and that’s hard to agree with personally. English is not the official language of the United States, the melting pot doesn’t have one, and these players aren’t paid to learn English they are here to hit home runs and win games. Sure it would be nice for them to be able to at least hold their own in a post-game interview but I’m not one to push my beliefs, thoughts and agendas on anyone. This is still a free country for the time being.


This will probably bother some people but it’s ultimately better for the game and the brand in my opinion and that’s okay with me. 

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)