By Matthew Burris
Major League Baseball has been seeing a decline in urban American youths wanting to pick up a glove and bat.
It's a dangerous prospect, the concept of losing a whole generation of stellar athletes to other games, or, worse, a life of crime.
That's why the Major League Baseball offices have gone to drastic measures to reach out to these publics and target minorities in particular, in an effort to increase young minority participation in the game of baseball.
The program, Reviving Baseball in Inner cities, or RBI, and the accompanying PR campaign have been a great success.
MLB has used a variety of exciting and effective tactics to bring kids to baseball.
From the old stand-by's of news releases and press conferences, to community events and public service announcements starring real MLB stars (most of whom are a minority), MLB has reached out to community leaders as well as kids.
Going forward, MLB plans to open more RBI locations and give back to many more communities. Building baseball facilities around the country not only serves to improve the life of the game, but the lives of those kids who wouldn't have otherwise had the chance to play ball.
Great job, Major League Baseball.
