Magic Numbers Baseball
In 1975, almost one in four players from Major League was African American. From the 1950s to the 1970s, baseball tend to be the first choice for the best black athletes. Baseball careers are longer and the wages were higher than those of other sports.
This began to change in the late 1970s. The NFL has surpassed baseball in popularity, and Larry Bird / Magic Johnson NCAA finals in 1979 led to a explosion of popularity and financial strength for the NBA and basketball in general. The game of Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays and Henry Aaron was considered by many youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods as slow, boring and the game of their parents' generation. Some wondered if the revival of baseball in inner cities, was even possible.
In the late 1970s, declining number of African-Americans playing baseball has been noticed by officials, as has been the crowds that were often composed entirely of white games in the majors and minors. Something was needed to start what is called the National Pastime in urban areas. That something turned out to be a program called Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI).
John Young, a former Major League Baseball player and Scout, developed the concept of revive baseball in inner cities to help disadvantaged youth the opportunity to learn and enjoy the game of baseball. Young grew up in South Central Los Angeles at a time when the region has developed several professional baseball players. However, in the late 1970s, Young, who worked as a recruiter for major league noted a significant decrease number of qualified athletes out of his area of childhood.
After visiting schools in the city center and talk to members of the Department of Los Angeles, parks and recreation, youth have found that most children stop playing baseball aged between 13 and 16. The drop off was due to many factors, including lack of organization, financing and community support for youth baseball, and the general deterioration social climate in many underserved areas. Most often, children leave after being discouraged by baseball programs organized and poorly drawn by the existence of other activities, including street gangs.
Since 1989, Reviving Baseball in the inner cities has grown from a local for boys in South Central Los Angeles to an international campaign encompassing more than 200 cities and no less than 120,000 male and female participants per year. Perhaps no coincidence, Major League Baseball has seen its first increase in black players in 2008 to 10.2 percent from a low of 8.7 percent the previous year. Final figures for 2009 have not been released, but it is believed that the representation of African Americans in the majors to increase new.
Young intended to keep the Reviving Baseball in the inner cities local program for five years before launching it nationally. However, because of the success of the program in Los Angeles, the Mathews-Dickey Boys Club in St. Louis adopted RBI in 1990, and Kansas City and New York followed with training programs RBIs in 1992. In 1993, the RBI programs have been established in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami and Philadelphia, while the baseball program Junior in Atlanta, Richmond and San Juan also became affiliated with the program. In 1994, RBI expanded to 28 cities and brought softball leagues. To date, more 200 leagues in 203 cities worldwide support for the program.
Major League Baseball, which has administered the baseball reborn in Inner Cities Program since 1991, is the central administrative office for RBI and from 1993 to 1996, and also the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), provided start-up grants for programs demonstration of financial need. Since the inception of the program, Major League Baseball and its Clubs have designated more than 30 million dollars in resources to RBI program.
"The RBI program has many benefits," said former New York Yankees and ESPN broadcaster Roberto Clemente Jr., who founded the Pittsburgh RBI program and is involved with the program of San Juan. "It keeps kids of trouble and off the streets, while at the same time teach them stay in school. They gain self-esteem and self-respect. The educational components help them realize their potential and work receiving college scholarships based not only on athletics, but academics.
RBI alumni currently playing in the majors include Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay), Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia Phillies), Coco Crisp (Kansas City Royals) and Dontrelle Willis (Detroit Tigers).
Meanwhile, Young – the "father of the RBI – continues to be amazed by the success of his program has achieved in reviving baseball in inner cities. "It as a child to me, "he said. "To see the magnitude of the RBI – that it became – it's unbelievable. It's like a dream come reality ".
About the Author:
Paul Hirsch is a writer for
; Regal Black Mens Magazine
The publication focuses on
; African American Community News Politics Sports Health
The magazine features a
; Local Online Classifieds & Job Classified Black Business Directory
Visit to read about
; reviving baseball in inner-cities
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities a Priority For MLB
09/24/2008 Buffaloes 4, Hawks 1
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