Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) is a Major League Baseball (MLB) youth outreach program designed to:
- Increase participation and interest in baseball and softball among youth.
- Promote greater inclusion of youth with diverse backgrounds into the mainstream of the game.
- Increase number of talented athletes prepared to play in college and professionally.
- Encourage academic achievement.
- Teach the value of teamwork.
From its inception in 1989, RBI has grown from a local program for boys in South Central Los Angeles to an international campaign encompassing more than 200 cities and as many as 100,000 male and female participants per year.
Cubs Nike RBI consists of summer and fall baseball and softball leagues, skills clinics and a nine-month player development program.
The *Cubs Nike RBI summer and fall leagues *consists of multiple teams across senior (18U) and junior (14U) baseball and softball divisions. Since 2001, more than 9,000 players have participated in Cubs RBI, free of charge.
Cubs Nike RBI All-Stars is a nine-month player development program supporting athletes on and off the field with performance training, academic coaching, civic engagement opportunities and team-building experiences. All-Star teams compete in MLB-sanctioned tournament play. Tryouts for Cubs RBI All-Stars are held annually in July.
RBI Scholars provides student athletes with one-to-one tutoring, academic workshops, writing labs and other resources to build study habits and skills and strengthen analytical writing. RBI Scholars is sponsored by Peoples Gas and executed in partnership with Educational Endeavors.
For more information, visit www.mlb.com/rbi or email cubsrbi@cubs.com.