Major League Baseball Launches Season by Devoting Media to Charitable Initiatives

Boys & Girls Clubs and RBI PSAs to debut on ESPN's Opening Night and Opening Day broadcasts

03/28/2008 -- Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced that it will launch four new public service announcements (PSAs) aimed at raising awareness of its youth baseball, community and charitable activities.

The spots, which will debut on ESPN's Sunday March 30 Opening Night broadcast, will feature children from Major League Baseball's official charity, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and participants of the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) presented by KPMG program as they interact with Major League Baseball players Dan Haren, Prince Fielder, Jimmy Rollins and Dontrelle Willis, respectively. Dan Haren, Dontrelle Willis and Jimmy Rollins are alumni of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Dontrelle Willis and Jimmy Rollins both participated in the Major League Baseball RBI program. Four :15 and four :30 second PSA spots highlight the positive and supportive environments that Boys & Girls Clubs of America and RBI presented by KPMG provide.

"Major League Baseball remains committed to youth and communities," said Major League Baseball Executive Vice President of Business Tim Brosnan. "Our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and our continued support of RBI presented by KPMG demonstrates our dedication to young people, particularly those who are underserved. We are striving to make a difference by providing kids with the tools they will need to succeed on the field and off."

The BGCA and RBI PSAs were created by McCann Erickson, and will air on ESPN, Fox and TBS during Major League Baseball games. They will also be distributed to local broadcast partners of the Clubs whose players are featured. Additional radio and print elements will be integrated later in the season.

"The eleven year partnership between MLB and BGCA has exposed hundreds of thousands of youth to baseball through the RBI and Rookie League programs, and just last year we initiated a new MLB sponsored STAR award program recognizing youth for demonstrating positive behaviors in their Clubs and communities. The new PSAs highlight mutual values of MLB and BGCA - two great institutions that impact kids in a positive way," said Roxanne Spillett, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

In 1997 Boys & Girls Clubs of America was selected as the official charity of Major League Baseball. Since that designation, Major League Baseball and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have partnered to establish more than 200 new Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) leagues and more than 250 new Rookie Leagues (machine - pitch instructional programs). Current and former Major League Baseball players who are alumni of Boys & Girls Clubs include Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, Harold Reynolds and Baseball Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson. Major League Baseball has increased exposure for BGCA through Major League Baseball produced print, radio and television public service advertising campaigns valued at over $15 million annually. Since the inception of the RBI program in 1989, MLB Clubs have drafted more than 170 RBI participants. In addition to Rollins and Willis, RBI alumni on MLB rosters during the 2007 season included: Carl Crawford (Devil Rays), Covelli "Coco" Crisp (Red Sox) and James Loney (Dodgers).

Last year, RBI welcomed KPMG as its presenting sponsor. KPMG is committed to helping expand and enhance the program through financial contributions, management assistance, and volunteer hours.

About Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities presented by KPMG
RBI presented by KPMG is one of many Major League Baseball initiatives dedicated to enhancing youth participation and interest in baseball and softball. Specifically, RBI is designed to promote interest in the sport and encourage kids to stay in school. RBI programs have been started in more than 200 cities worldwide, and annually provide as many as 120,000 boys and girls the opportunity to play baseball and softball. For more information, please visit: mlb.com/rbi

About Major League Baseball Charities, Inc.
Major League Baseball Charities is a not-for-profit corporation that provides support to local, national and international tax- exempt organizations to directly conduct or sponsor activities for the promotion of good health, physical education, public safety, medical research, literacy and educational or charitable purposes. In addition to supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the Official Charity of Major League Baseball, MLB Charities provides support to a number of other national charitable initiatives, including Little League Baseball, the National Urban League and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball pays all administrative expenses for MLB Charities.

Source: MLB

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