Selling Clothes to Survive

Osmel Almaguer

Alfredo sells tennis shoes, socks, shorts and T-shirts, all at pretty high prices.  Sure, their name brand goods, to be specific they’re all by Adidas.

He’s not a reseller, nor is he a middleman for those for those who have found themselves without vendor licenses and have to stand outside store exits trying to hawk their black market merchandise.

The things Alfredo sells weren’t sent them to him by any uncle in Spain.  And he doesn’t have a sister breaking her back in the United States.  Nor is he a store manager or a grocer who’s able to sell what they steal from the warehouse.

Although it seems unlikely, the things Alfredo sells are the fruit of his effort as a contender for the Cuban national swimming team.

He says that he doesn’t sell the goods out of any particular ambition.  He only admits that he’s young and needs money to go out with his girlfriend, in addition to keeping up the house.

Alfredo is not a great swimmer.  The Cuban team hardly ever wins medals in any major competitions.  They’re amateurs and they defend the ideal of pure sports, without the vices of professionalism, which is why neither Alfredo nor his teammates have any money.

That’s why not only them, but also athletes in other sports sell the gear assigned to them for training.

At first sight it might seem like a small-minded act; in fact I don’t doubt that some of our sports officials have in fact earned some extra money like this.  But the problem is more complex.

This society moves without money, or those in power want to move it only on the basis of ideals.  When someone thinks they can blot out the sun with their finger, people do what they can to take care of themselves – and these kinds of things happen.