Unleash the Licey Tigers
A Dominican Local Reveals Baseball’s Most Passionate Fanbase
Prior to visiting the Dominican Republic in January of 2008, I knew that baseball is a passion for the island country’s people. I didn’t know how much of a passion it was until I visited Santo Domingo, the country’s capital city.
I would discover that baseball is more than just a sport; it is a religion.
I asked our tour guide what the big baseball teams were in Santo Domingo. My motive was to purchase a baseball cap as a souvenir. He told me there were two major teams in the city; the Águilas Cibaeñas (the Eagles) and the Tigres del Licey (the Tigers). The guide proudly told me that his team was Licey (pronounced “Lee-say”). He assured me that I would find all kinds of baseball caps for both teams in the market.
Excited about the possibility of getting a ball cap, I decided that I wanted both of those teams. However, once I got to the market, I couldn’t find a cap anywhere.
Undaunted, I went to a cigar shop and asked the cashier where I can find a Licey Tigers ball cap. The proprietor told me to wait a second while he asked a local in the store where I could find one.
The local darted towards me and said, “You know Licey? You know the Tigers?”
