The Cuban baseball league system is not a single baseball league; rather it is a structure of leagues and series that are governed by the Baseball Federation of Cuba and culminate in national championships and the selection of the Cuba national baseball team. The players are professionals and play for the provinces in which they reside. All of the provinces in Cuba are represented by teams. Organization of Cuban national baseball system Cuban National Series The National Series generally runs from March to July (beginning with the 2022 season) with a schedule of 98 games per team in the regular season. The series is then followed by 3 playoff rounds culminating in a championship. This series has been played each winter since 1961-62 until the 2020-21 season, and was moved to the spring in 2022. There are 16 teams organized in a West League and an East League. The top four teams from each league advance to a playoff, with the winner crowned in the championship series. Two teams have dominated the National Series in recent years: Industriales and Santiago de Cuba. Cuban Elite League Created in 2022, the Elite League took over the former winter schedule that had been dominated by the National Series since its foundation season. It runs from October to February with a similar schedule and format as the CNS, with the winner of the championship series after the postseason playoffs assuming the role as Cuban representative to the Caribbean Series. From 2014 to 2019, the CNS champion team advanced directly to the Caribbean Series proper. Super Series The Super Series, a summer league, is usually played from May through July with a schedule of about 28 games. The series is followed by a playoff between the two top teams. Its teams are selected from the best players of the National Series. In turn, the Cuba national baseball team is selected from the players in the Super Series. Five regional teams compete: Occidentales (Western region) Havana Centrales (Central region) Orientales (Eastern region) Santiago de Cuba History of the Cuban baseball league system Prior to the Cuban Revolution, various professional, semiprofessional, industrial, and amateur baseball leagues and teams flourished in Cuba, including the professional Cuban League and the minor league Havana Sugar Kings. Since the Cuban Revolution, baseball continued to thrive as Cuba's national game. In February 1961 the government created the National Institute for Sports, Physical