Wendy Lewis Validates How Major League Baseball Serves the Urban Community
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NEW YORK— Every year between April and October, many people find themselves enchanted with America’s favorite pastime—baseball. Whether it’s a young fan who dreams of the day he can take the field or one who is just a lifelong fan and spectator, the sport of baseball can provide a much needed escape. However, simply because the season has ended, that doesn’t mean that things behind the scenes come to a screeching halt.
Even when baseball stadiums across the country are empty, Major League Baseball (MLB) is hard at work, helping to bring people closer to the big leagues. Wendy Lewis, SVP of Diversity and Strategic Alliances with the MLB’s Office of the Commissioner, details five ways the organization is constantly working in the community. –ivory m. jones
Diverse Business Partners Program – It’s designed to create business opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses. Lewis, who led the team that developed the program, says that MLB has spent over $500 million with minority and women-owned businesses since its launch.
Executive Development Program – Another of Lewis’ initiatives, the EDP is a two-year rotational career program designed to create pipeline development through the league. The program helps locate and prepare the league’s future managers and staff.
Diversity Economic Initiative – One of MLB’s newest initiatives, DEI seeks to advance the level of the league’s workforce and supplier diversity efforts. Headed by Lewis, the program essentially creates 30 business models around baseball. “I think it’s going to excite and empower a lot of people,” Lewis adds.
Urban Youth Academy – Opened in 2006, the Urban Youth Academy is housed on the grounds of Compton Community College and helps prepare inner city youth to be tomorrow’s potential professional baseball player via camps and clinics. “As a result of that,” Lewis says, “twenty-one kids have already been sighted as high performance with potential to play in the MLB.”
Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities (RBI) Program – Started 20 years ago, the RBI program initially began as an opportunity to provide disadvantaged male youths with the chance to play baseball. Since its inception, it has transformed itself into an international program that seeks to athletically and academically enrich inner-city girls and boys
