True, some fans at U.S. sporting events put on face paint and weird costumes. You have to admit, though, that this behavior is very much the exception rather than the rule. At the Caribbean Series, though, the national pride of the fans is on display in their behavior and attire. All of the photos above are just of Mexican fans. Those rooting for the other three countries were similarly adorned.
The game-day staff members at the Clemente Stadium were often entertaining themselves. The ushers -- such as the one for our section shown above left -- were a lot of fun, as they sang, danced and led cheers. However, policing the tops of the dugouts wasn't exactly their highest priority. Over and over, fans for the team housed in that dugout would pour onto its roof, blocking the view of the fans like us. Hint: as tempting as it might sound, I don't recommend buying seats right behind one of the dugouts -- that is, if you want to be able to keep track of the action on the field. I am speaking from personal experience. It was fun, but it gets old if you're trying to keep score.
More color and pageantry
Sportscasters love to talk of the "color and pageantry" at college football games. Those gridiron contests have nothing on the Caribbean World Series!
Very talented musicians roam the stands, serenading the fans between innings. The antics of the fans themselves provide endless enjoyment, as the flag waving is like nothing at sporting events in the U.S.
Yes, there are pretty girls
And I know you've been hoping I would provide some additional details about the lovely ladies I referenced in the intro to this article. About every other inning, the between-innings entertainment was provided by either cheerleaders or dancing girls. By a wide margin, the troupe of dancers that elicited the most attention from the male fans was the group sponsored by DirecTV (three of the six-member troupe are shown above left).
Were these young ladies talented dancers? Most definitely. Did they wear provocative costumes? Oh, yes they did. Were these señoritas beautiful? ¡Si!
The OTHER Super Bowl
The late game on Day Three of the Caribbean World Series happened to be played at exactly the same time as the NFL's Super Bowl in Miami. With this battle of baseball royalty going on, the vast majority of the sports fans in Puerto Rico couldn't have cared less about a football game going on a couple of hundred miles to the north. Instead, the island was absolutely on fire over the match-up between Puerto Rico and its next-door neighbor the Dominican Republic. The fans were positively going bonkers, singing and waving flags, long before the game started. And when it was over, with República Dominicana routing the locals 12-0, the fans of the winning team joined with the victorious players in storming the field and taking victory laps around the bases.
In this part of the world, this match-up is bigger than the Super Bowl! And you know what? Having been to both events, I think Serie Del Caribe is a lot more fun!
Return to Page 1 of the
Caribbean World Series photo essay
