Sports network ESPN, based in Bristol, is helping support the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program at local Boys & Girls Clubs in seven communities across the country. The Hartford Boys & Girls Club is among those being backed.
In place since 1989, the RBI program gives young players the opportunity to play in baseball and softball programs in underserved communities. The program also places a special focus on encouraging academic achievement and teaching important life lessons.
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities is a program of Major League Baseball. It started in Los Angeles in 1989 and is now in 200 cities internationally. Annually, the program provides more than 260,000 boys and girls the opportunity to play baseball and softball.
“We are proud to join … Major League Baseball’s commitment to reach more youth through the game of baseball,” said ESPN vice president of corporate citizenship Kevin Martinez. “Through this collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we hope to introduce baseball to a new generation of kids, particularly those in urban and inner city communities.”
The Boys & Girls Club has its roots in Hartford. Three women organized the first in 1860 with a desire to see boys off the streets. The Hartford Boys & Girls Club, according to its website, serves more than 5,000 youth annually through its programs.
