Frequently Asked Questions

About Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI)

MISSION:

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) is a Major League Baseball youth outreach program designed to:

• Increase participation and interest in baseball and softball among underserved youth
• Encourage academic participation and achievement
• Increase number of talented athletes prepared to play in college and minor leagues
• Promote greater inclusion of minorities into the mainstream of the game
• Teach the value of teamwork

FAST FACTS - PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

• Founded: 1989
• Over 1 million youth served during 21 year history
• In 2010 nearly 300 RBI leagues served a record 171,167 baseball & softball participants
• International: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Virgin Islands
• MLB Clubs have drafted more than 185 RBI participants
• RBI alumni include: Carl Crawford, Covelli "Coco" Crisp, James Loney, Jimmy Rollins, CC Sabathia, Yovani Gallardo, Justin Upton, James McDonald, Dontrelle Willis
• 2010 launch of Jr. RBI (Ages 5-12) expanded scope and increased impact

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL & ALL 30 CLUBS SUPPORT RBI

MLB and its Clubs have designated more than $30 million worth of resources to the RBI program and all 30 Major League Baseball Clubs support RBI programs.

RBI EDUCATIONAL AND LIFE SKILLS SUPPORT

The RBI program stresses life skills and educational components to help make "Major League Citizens". Local RBI programs have the opportunity to conduct a variety of courses, including:

• Breaking Barriers: In Sports, in Life, a multicultural character education program developed by Major League Baseball
• BGCA's SportSMART! program, a condensed version of BGCA's award-winning SMART Moves program designed to assist young people in learning how to resist alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and premature sexual activity
• Partnership for a Drug-Free America programming such as Time to Talk, Play Healthy, and Not in my House, character education programs aimed at preventing and handling drug and alcohol abuse
• Taylor Hooton Foundation, "Hoot's Chalk Talk" raises awareness and provides education on the subject of the use of APEDs
• The RBI for RBI Scholarship Program; a $5,000 per year scholarship for college bound RBI participants

RBI SEASON

Typical RBI leagues operate from May to August and provide five divisions of local league play for older participants: Freshman Boys (13-14 year olds), Junior Boys (15-16 year olds), Senior Boys (17-18 year olds) and Girls Softball (14-and-under and 18-and-under). Tournament play for these divisions typically begins in late July with Regional qualifying tournaments for advancement to the RBI World Series in early August. Jr. RBI (Ages 5-12) seasons can operate in spring, summer or fall to accommodate maximum participation.

PARTICIPANT BREAKDOWN AND DEMOGRAPHICS

(2010 Participation)

There are 290 RBI leagues in the US and 5 overseas. More than 300 have been started in more than 200 cities worldwide, and annually provide more than 170,000 boys and girls the opportunity to play baseball and softball.

JR. RBI DEMOGRAPHICS (AGES 5-12)

• African American 47%
• Caucasian 27%
• Hispanic 22%
• Asian 2%
• Other 1%
• Native American 1%

RBI DEMOGRAPHICS (AGES 13-18)

• African American 46%
• Caucasian 26%
• Hispanic 25%
• Asian 1%
• Other 1%
• Native American 1%

RBI GROWTH 1997-2010 (By Participants)

PERCENTAGE OF PARTICIPATION (By State)