Demoralized' Little League Team Shut Out of World Series by Trump's Travel Ban

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Daily Beast

Updated Jul. 26 2025 3:58AM EDT
Published Jul. 25 2025 11:51PM EDT


A Venezuelan Little League baseball team has been caught up in President Donald Trump’s travel ban and will be unable to compete in the World Series after being denied travel visas to the U.S.

The Cacique Mara Little League team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, had qualified for the Senior League Baseball World Series set to be held in Easley, South Carolina, on Saturday.

In an interview posted to social media, the president of Cacique Mara Little League explained that despite traveling to Bogotá, Colombia, two weeks in advance in an attempt to secure travel visas for the tournament, their applications were denied. Travelers from Venezuela face partially restricted entry to the U.S. under Trump’s travel ban.

League president Kendry Gutiérrez said of the decision, “The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America. They don’t pose any threat; they’re 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup.”

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/demoralized-little-league-team-shut-out-of-world-series-by-trumps-travel-ban/

[gab13by13]

1. I read the article,

Little kids playing a game aren't welcome here.

When is Krasnov going to weed out the people from banned countries in professional and college sports?

I bet there are a lot of Venezuelans playing professional baseball.

[Oeditpus Rex]

23. There're 147 players born im Venezuela

on current MLB rosters (if I counted right). All-time, there've been 640. Ii knew one of them, Omar Vizquel, when he was coming up through the minors. They wete baseball-crazy as kids, he once said, but they didn't have the money for proper equipment, if it was even available. So they flattened out milk cartons and pressed a pocket into them to use as gloves.

That's how much these kids want to play ball. That's how much The Felon is breaking their hearts, and probably half the country's.

[Polybius]

37. How he managed to find teams to play on well into his 40's I will never understand

His stats during those years were not good. No disrespect to him of course. I don't blame him for wanting to play as long as possible.

[cbabe]

2. All the teams should carry the Venezuelan flag.

[Magoo48]

10. Yup, that would be courageous.

[hvn_nbr_2]

3. The World Cup and Olympics are likely to be shitshows. nt

[Jilly_in_VA]

4. I think the WOC

should just cancel the 2028 Summer Olympics, of move them back to Paris. This is another argument for having a permanenen site for both winter and summer Olympics, and I wish they'd just get it done!

[Vinca]

5. That's nastiness just to be nasty. What a shit stain Trump is.

[WestMichRad]

6. I smell the stench of Steven Miller on this.

Olympic and World Cup competitors and fans, this is your foreshadowing.

[OrlandoDem2]

7. Where are all the Venezuelans down in Doral who supported Trump?

Sad for the kids. But watch out who you vote for.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

16. People in Venezuela got to vote in the American election?

I had no idea!

[OrlandoDem2]

20. No!! Doral is in South Florida. Heavy Venezuelan population!

[ForgoTheConsequence]

21. We're not talking about AMERICANS of Venezuelan descent.

We're talking about Venezuelans. Venezuelans didn't vote in this election. What an asinine comment.

[OrlandoDem2]

22. Never said they did. But the Venezuelans in Doral loved Trump and who is responsible for this visa mess?

Trump.

What an asinine misunderstanding.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

33. Who is the "you" in your comment then?

Americans of Venezuelan descent are not Venezuelans. You wouldn’t say that about someone with a German or Irish last name. You made an insensitive and ignorant comment aimed at the wrong people.

[Upthevibe]

8. BumRushDaShow.........

[Blue Full Moon]

9. Any world event should ban the USA.

[Oeditpus Rex]

24. That would look really bad on the host country

and their ĺeaders all know it.

Now, if countries refused to compete in world events held in the U.S. ... but that'd hurt the athletes and get them pissed off at their own governments. (Remember the reaction to the U.S. boycotting the 1980 Olympic Games in Russia?)

Looks like boycotting isn't the way.

[twodogsbarking]

11. Are we great yet?

I'll check back later.

[AverageOldGuy]

12. Probably MS-13 disguised as Little Leaguers

Gotta watch those little brown people, sneaky bastards every one.

[AllaN01Bear]

13. ""

[FakeNoose]

14. Why don't South and Central America start their own Little League World Series?

They don't need to compete in ours. Seriously!

Those Little League teams would blow the doors off the competition anyway. No fans would have any interest in coming to Williamsport any more.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. Because most of the world

plays soccer and perhaps cricket (the latter most likely being the origin of our current baseball). In this case, "baseball" is pretty much a uniquely "American"-evolved game and teams from around the world compete in our Little League World Series (just like we compete in the FICA World Cup).

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. Baseball was invented in England

At least, the first known use of the word and a brief desscription of play was printed there, in a children's book in 1743.

The game probably showed up over here in the 1830s. We know it was played during the U.S.Civil War.
, even with Union teams against Confederate teams. Legend has it thst President Lincoln was approached during a game to attend to some business and said, "Wait till I get my ups."

[peacebuzzard]

32. The Brits were the inventors of soccer as well.

They are the best soccer hooligans ever. (in a fun, very rowdy way)
(in other countries it is known as futebol. football.)

[BumRushDaShow]

36. I mentioned about "cricket"

(I live a couple miles from a Cricket Club here in Philly)

It evolved away from that to what it is today and it's definitely not "cricket". And I expect hitting a ball (or object) with a stick goes back WAY further in human history than 18th century Europe.

[Oeditpus Rex]

39. Oh, no doubt

It's such a basic recreational activity -- not as basic as running, the original "news media" between cities, but certainly as basic as tossing a ball or something into a target, or moving a ball or stone or log across a goal line.

A lot of stuff that's now sport evolved from things people used to have to do on the farm, in construction, et cetera.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

17. Probably because it's the WORLD series.

Baseball has a rich tradition in Asia and Latin America. Are you suggesting America cut itself off from the world more?

[FakeNoose]

18. I'm not suggesting it ... Chump has already done it

[peacebuzzard]

31. forgive me if i am wrong

However, Venezuela, along with a limited few other Central and South American countries (perhaps Costa Rica), is into baseball. But, whoohoo, are they ever good, the few stars who are.
I do not think there is a strong enough national interest to promote this as a strong sport in Central and South America. Further, it costs money. You have got to be a hell of a star in the sport to succeed. But Little Leaguers is where it starts. I certainly am all for promoting that enterprise (which, unfortunately, needs money to boost it)

[quaint]

35. So confused, what about Mexico?

[moonshinegnomie]

19. both the world cup and the olympics should be pulled

as well as any f1 races and any other international sporting events

[Oeditpus Rex]

27. 'Pulled'?

As in "not held"?

[dem4decades]

26. Is their team the Cacique Mara Little League Bad Hombres? Fuck Trump and fuck his followers.

[Deuxcents]

28. These are Little League kids who have worked hard to play sports..this is not political in the least

This is cruelty by petty people who are no role models for kids but have crushed their hard work and dreams. I’m pretty sure these kids will grow into adults and will not forget this and then it becomes political. This is so unnecessary

[Prairie Gates]

30. Asterisk for the winners, especially of it's a US team

[RandomNumbers]

34. Mean people suck.

A bumper sticker I saw in a headshop, decades ago. (when headshops existed and were called that)

For some reason the phrase springs to mind quite often these days.


How fucking mean does someone have to be, to support crap like this?

[Rebl2]

38. Wonder if

this is a preview of next summer’s World Cup?