Baseball's presence grew when it was banned by Spanish oppressors in 1869 in favor of bullfighting. Cubans played baseball as an expression of freedom. The ban also caused Cubans to join Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The Cuban League existed from 1878 to 1961 and received enough attention to become a league used for player development during the offseason by the MLB in 1947. From 1891 to 1959, the American Series pitted Cuban teams against American teams. After the revolution in Cuba, baseball in Cuba was no longer a farm system for MLB. In an era of anti-Americanism, Cuba began retaining its best players to represent Cuba. “Producing athletes capable of competing on the international stage served as proof that the island nation was on equal footing with the United States. » (Doherty) Currently, Cuba has a national team participating in the World Baseball Classic. Cuban baseball players are considered among the most talented baseball players and are heavily recruited by the United States when possible. Cuban patriotism as well as the difficulty of defecting push many of these talented players to stay in Cuba. The same cannot be said for players from the islands who are not so strict, many of their star players leave their homes for the greener pastures of the islands.