The game of baseball has helped hundreds of players from the Dominican Republic lift their families out of poverty. And it’s a boon to the economy. Each year Major League Baseball pours about $100 million into the country.
But the year-round race to churn out the strongest, fastest, and youngest baseball players in the world is taking a toll on this small Caribbean country. Steroids. Fake birth certificates. Kickbacks. The pressure to cheat is strong. There’s even a phrase for it. La Buena Mentira: The Good Lie.
Originally a special report for National Public Radio, the project has evolved into a feature length documentary. Along with Vitamin Enriched Films, the project is being spear-headed by reporter J. Patrick Madden.