Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities
Formation1989
FounderJohn Young
Parent organization
Major League Baseball
BudgetUS$30,000,000
WebsiteReviving Baseball in Inner Cities

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), known for sponsorship purposes as Nike RBI is a youth baseball program operated by Major League Baseball. This youth initiative is designed to provide young people from underserved and diverse communities the opportunity to play baseball and softball. The program was created by John Young in 1989 in Los Angeles, and now serves more than 200 communities. In 2023, Nike, Inc. became the presenting sponsor.

Background

Working as a

Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles, who agreed to fund a youth baseball program in Los Angeles, providing $50,000.[1][2] Young also received funding from the Amateur Athletic Union.[3]

Young, with the Professional Baseball Scouts of Southern California, organized 12 teams of 180 13- and 14-year-olds in 1989, the first year of the RBI program.[1] Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis, African American baseball players from Southern California, devoted time and money to help the program.[2]

MLB took over operation of the RBI program in 1991.

Boys and Girls Clubs of America to help grow the RBI program.[5][6]

The RBI program has received support from

Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Louisville Slugger, New Balance, Rawlings, Wilson Sporting Goods, and Outdoor Cap.[4]

In April 2023, MLB announced that Nike had become the presenting sponsor for RBI.[7]

Structure

Teams compete in three divisions: the Junior Boys division (13 to 15 years of age), the Senior Boys division (16 to 18 years of age), and Girls Softball (up to 18 years of age).[8] League schedules run from May through August.[4] Teams compete in regional tournaments in order to compete in the RBI World Series, which began in 1993.[9] The RBI World Series is aired on the MLB Network and can be streamed on MLB.com, starting in 2010.[10]

RBI operates programs in more than 200 cities, with over 100,000 participants annually.[11] Programs run in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and South America.[12] MLB provides college scholarships to RBI participants.[13] A Junior RBI program serves children from the ages of 6 through 12, which was launched in 2009.[14]

Results

MLB draftees Brice Matthews and Jurrangelo Cijntje.[2][4][16][17][18][19][20][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Klein, Gary (May 22, 1990). "Program Brings Baseball Back to Inner City". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Platt, Ben (May 24, 2013). "MLB's RBI program enters 20th year". MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Scout Sees Inner Cities' Hope Wasted". Sun Sentinel. May 31, 1992. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "About Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities". MLB.com. May 24, 2013. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
  5. ^ Kamin, Arthur Z. (March 6, 1994). "New Jersey Q & A: Leonard S. Coleman Jr.; A New Leader in Baseball's Hierarchy". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  6. ^ Smith, Claire (March 30, 1997). "Blacks Turning Away From Baseball and Robinson's Dream". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  7. ^ "Nike becomes presenting sponsor of RBI Program". MLB.com. April 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  8. ^ "Los Angeles wins 2006 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series Senior Boys championship" (Press release). MLB.com. August 7, 2006. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
  9. Newspapers.com
    .
  10. ^ Dorsey, Steve (August 8, 2010). "RBI World Series ready for national spotlight". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011.
  11. ^ "NIKE RBI | General Information". MLB.com. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "2013 RBI World Series to be hosted by the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota". MLB.com. May 15, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  13. ^ "MLB announces 2013 'RBI for RBI' College Scholarship recipients". MLB.com. June 3, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  14. ^ Gonzalez, Alden (April 15, 2009). "MLB launches Jr. RBI program". MLB.com. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  15. ^ Fitzpatrick, Mike (April 15, 2007). "Has baseball betrayed Jackie Robinson?". NBC Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013.
  16. ^ Czerwinski, Kevin T. (June 11, 2007). "RBI program again impacts MLB Draft". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
  17. ^ "Fourteen alumni from Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities selected in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft". MLB.com (Press release). June 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014.
  18. ^ Fordin, Spencer (May 6, 2013). "Urban Youth Academy's impact on Draft continues". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014.
  19. ^ Newman, Mark (June 6, 2013). "Dominic Smith, J.P. Crawford products of MLB's youth initiatives". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014.
  20. ^ "MLB completes first day of 2023 Draft presented by Nike". MLB.com (Press release). July 9, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "Major League Baseball completes 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike". MLB.com. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reviving_Baseball_in_Inner_Cities&oldid=1281075501"