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We Are Nashville RBI

Nashville RBI uses baseball and softball and the power of teams to provide inner-city youth with opportunities to play, to learn and to grow, inspiring them to recognize their potential and realize their dreams. Nashville RBI was started in 1996 with a grant from Major League Baseball. The Nashville chapter now involves more than 900 boys and girls ages 5 to 18, and is designed to promote youth interest in baseball and softball, promote greater inclusion of minorities into the mainstream of the games, increase the self-esteem of disadvantaged children, and encourage academic participation and achievement.

Why Nashville RBI?

Thanks to Nashville's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program, boys and girls are learning to love America's pastime. They're picking up valuable lessons on and off the field, and most importantly, they're dreaming big dreams.

RBI is a youth outreach program designed to promote interest in baseball while increasing the self-esteem of disadvantaged children and encouraging kids to stay in school and off the streets. RBI has baseball and softball programs in 200 cities worldwide, reaching more than 100,000 boys and girls.

RBI was founded in 1989 in South Central Los Angeles by Major League baseball player John Young. The program was designed to not only encourage participation in the game of baseball, but also to provide young people with a positive team-oriented activity that would keep them off the streets while challenging their minds and bodies. In 1991,

Major League Baseball assumed the administration of RBI and initially, in conjunction with the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, made start-up grants to RBI programs around the world. Each RBI chapter is now responsible for raising its own funds.

RBI Leadership

From the beginning, the Nashville RBI program has been run by Reggie Whittemore, a former minor league player for the Boston Red Sox. One of the best baseball players Nashville has ever produced, Whittemore was a state champion at McGavock High School and is a member of the David Lipscomb University athletic Hall of Fame, having led the Bisons to two national championships. In January of 2003, Whittemore was honored by Nashville Sports Council with the "Community Spirit Award" for his work with Nashville RBI. He was also the recipient of the Reese L. Smith Jr. Award: Outstanding Contribution and Service in Sports in 2005.

Off the Field

The off-the-field benefits of the RBI program are the true measure of the program's success. Here in Nashville and nationwide, participants learn life skills through Quick SMART!, a program developed by the Boys & Girls Club of America. Developed for RBI, Quick/SMART! addresses the issues of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and HIV/AIDS prevention and education for 13 - to 18 year olds. Local RBI programs are also provided with a community version of Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In LIfe, a charter education program based on the values demonstrated by Jackie Robinson. It is designed to teach children the values and traits they will need to deal with obstacles and challenges in their lives.

Major League Baseball's Goals for RBI

1. Increase participation and interest in baseball.
2. Encourage academic participation and achievement.
3. Promote greater inclusions of minorities into the mainstream of the game.
4. Develop self-esteem and teach the value of teamwork.
5. Increase the number of talented athletes prepared to play in college and the minor leagues.