Sports are a central part of the culture of the Dominican Republic, and have been practiced in the whole territory since the native inhabitants were living in the island. Sports play a key role in the culture and makeup of Dominican Republic society. The Dominican Republic is statistically one of the poorest countries in the world, however sports provide the citizens of the country with a way out. Specifically, baseball is the most popular sport on the island and Major League Baseball has been recruiting players from the Dominican Republic since the 1960's.
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Baseball
Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic today. After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of baseball players in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Although the sport was first seen in Latin America in Cuba, baseball began to flourish in the Dominican Republic when the United States Marine Corps occupied the island from 1916-1924. The first players of the game in the Dominican Republic were the upper-class Dominican boys who studied in the United States and played the game of baseball when they returned to the Dominican Republic. In the early 1900's, there were two baseball clubs named Nuevo Club and Ozama that were head and shoulders above the competition. However, a group called Licey emerged and it would become one of the finest sporting institutions in the Dominican Republic. With the arrival of Licey in 1907 thousands of people showed up for their games with the other self-organized teams in the country. They became great entertainment for citizens from all economic backgrounds. In 1912, Nuevo Club won the first baseball championship in Santo Domingo. Between the years of 1907-1920, the sport of baseball was played in the Dominican Republic for fun and the players played for "the love of the game." However, in 1921 the teams began to collect money from spectators and the championship game that year brought in over $7,000 and commercial pressures led to the sport becoming a semi-profession in the Dominican Republic. Rafael Trujillo became president of the Dominican Republic in 1930 and he helped baseball soar in popularity as the sport gained a political connection. By the end of the 1930's, many of the finest Negro League players from the United States and Cuban players played baseball in the summer in the Dominican Republic as they were paid a fortune in order to come play. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 and soon after teams from the MLB began sending scouts to watch Dominican Republic players play. The first great pitcher from the Dominican Republic who starred in the United States was Juan Marichal who is nicknamed the 'Dominican Dandy'. He began his playing career in the MLB in 1960 after he was signed from the Dominican Republic by the San Francisco Giants.
The Dominican Republic has its own baseball league, the Dominican Winter Baseball League, which runs its season from October to January. It comprises six teams: Águilas Cibaeñas (Cibao Eagles), Estrellas Orientales (Eastern Stars), Gigantes del Cibao (Cibao Giants), Leones del Escogido (Chosen Lions), Tigres del Licey (Licey Tigers), and Toros del Este (Eastern Bulls). Many MLB and minor league players play in the Dominican League during their own off-season.
The Dominican Republic has participated in the [Baseball World Cup], winning one Gold (1949), three Silver (1942, 1950, 1952), and two Bronze (1943, 1969), placing it seventh, right after Puerto Rico's one Gold, four Silver, and four Bronze. (Cuba holds a record twenty-five Gold, two Silver and two Bronze.)
The country also participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the inaugural tournament, in which they finished semi–finalists along with Korea. In the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the Dominican Republic became the first team to win the event undefeated. They beat Puerto Rico in the Championship game to win the 2013 World Baseball Classic. In 2017, The Dominican Republic participated in the World Baseball Classic and made it to the second round. However, a highlight from the 2017 World Baseball Classic was when the Dominican Republic played the United States and won 7 to 5 in front of a record 37,446 fans at Marlins Park in Miami, FL.
Basketball
The National Federation of Basketball holds every year a professional league, the National Basketball League, LNB (Spanish: "Liga Nacional de Baloncesto"). The National Basketball Association (NBA) have some players who represent the Dominican Republic, such as:
Boxing
Boxing is an important sport, and the country has produced scores of world-class fighters and world champions, both professionals and amateurs, among them Carlos Teo Cruz, Leo Cruz, Julio César Green, Joan Guzmán, and Juan Carlos Payano.
Football
Football is also a popular sport in the Dominican Republic. The governing body is the Federación Dominicana de Fútbol. The Primera División de Republica Dominicana is the top division of the Federación Dominicana de Fútbol. There have been a couple of FIFA Goal Programme projects that have been designed to further improve the infrastructure and facilities in the country in recent years.
Volleyball
Volleyball was introduced by U.S. marines in 1916. The first international competition came in 1934 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with the Caribbean Volleyball Tournament. The most important goal for the women's team was winning the gold medal at the 2003 Panamerican Games. Starting from 2007, the Dominican Volleyball Federation holds the Dominican Volleyball League every year. It is a professional volleyball league with eight participating teams in both genders. As of 2014, The women's senior team is ranked 7th. in the FIVB ranking and the men's senior team is ranked 33rd.
Many Dominicans play at international clubs in America, Europe and Asia, like Brenda Castillo, Bethania de la Cruz and Elvis Contreras.
Olympics
The first Olympic participation was in 1964 with just one athlete, Alberto Torres de la Mota ("El Gringo" ) in track & field (100 m). The first medallist was the boxer Pedro Julio Nolasco who won the bronze medal in the 1984 Olympic Games. The first gold medal, and second medal, came by the two-time world champion 400 m hurdles Félix Sánchez in the 2004 Olympic Games. The recent and more successful Olympiad, Beijing 2008, boxer Manuel Félix Díaz and the taekwondo practitioner Gabriel Mercedes won golden and silver medals respectively. The Dominican Republic Olympic Committee (DROC) is represented by its president Mr. Luis Mejía Oviedo.
Pan American Games
The Dominican Republic hosted the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo. The United States finished with the most medals. The games featured 338 events in 35 sports.
Central American and Caribbean Games
Dominican Republic hosted two Central American and Caribbean Games, the editions of 1974 at Santo Domingo, and the 1986 at Santiago.
Other sports
Luis Castillo, defensive end played in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers. Castillo was the cover athlete for the Spanish language version of Madden NFL 08.
Rugby union is a minor sport, but there is a Dominican Republic side, which has played at least one international.
Other sports include combat sports of judo[1], and professional wrestlers Arcadio Brito, Jack Veneno [2] and Bronco # 1.
In 2014, Victor Estrella became the nation's first top 100 tennis player.