Chevrolet Brings New Lights and Equipment To Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy In Compton

Compton, Ca., February 11, 2013 /3BL Media/ – The Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton now has new lighting for its youth league and softball fields and batting cages thanks to advertising by Chevrolet, the official vehicle of Major League Baseball, on CBS through EcoMedia.  Chevrolet’s funding for the infrastructure improvements as well as other essential new baseball equipment will help the MLB Urban Youth Academy serve more young athletes by enabling extended service hours for coaching and training programs.

A dedication celebration was held this morning and was hosted by the Mayor of Compton, Eric J. Perrodin; MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Development and Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson; MLB Urban Youth Academy Manager and former MLB All-Star, Don Buford;  Chevrolet Group Manager, Western Region Communications, Dave Barthmuss; and CBS EcoMedia President and Founder, Paul Polizzotto.  Special guests included three-time World Series Champion Manager, Tony La Russa; MLB Vice President of Youth & Facility Development, Darrell Miller; former All-Stars Jim “Mudcat” Grant and Kenny Landreaux; and hundreds of young baseball players from throughout the Compton/Los Angeles area.

"Chevrolet and the Southern California Chevrolet Dealers are honored to partner with CBS EcoMedia and the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy and its partners to help make these facility improvements a reality,” said Craig Vickers, Chevrolet Regional Marketing Manager, Western Region.  “As the Official Vehicle of Major League Baseball and a long time supporter of youth baseball, we felt it was a great fit and worthwhile investment in our local community.  We look forward to the future generation of Major League Baseball players utilizing the facilities to hone their skills and keep that Major League dream alive."

“Major League Baseball thanks EcoMedia and our partners at Chevrolet for this wonderful and generous donation,” said Frank Robinson, MLB’s EVP of Baseball Development. “The extended time for coaching and training will be invaluable toward the growth of our young participants and will be a tremendous benefit for us as we look to go above and beyond in serving the Compton community.”

The dedication celebration launched Compton Community Day at the MLB Urban Youth Academy, which included baseball skills events hosted by the Compton Community College baseball team, girls softball games hosted by the Academy’s own coaching staff, a tee ball clinic hosted by local high schools and a special Negro League Tribute Game.  The Negro League Tribute Game is appropriately being played during Black History Month. 

The Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy is staffed by former Major and Minor League players, instructors, collegiate coaches, scouts and certified athletic trainers, and has two Major League sized fields consisting of one show field, one auxiliary field and two youth fields to facilitate youth baseball and girl's softball.  The entire Academy complex is designed to offer baseball training at the highest possible level.

Chevrolet’s funding comes through its partnership with EcoMedia and their unique advertising program that connects advertisers with tangible health, environmental and education projects in communities across the country. 

“The Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy is an oasis for America’s pastime located in the heart of the underserved community of Compton,” said Paul Polizzotto, President and Founder of CBS EcoMedia.  “Chevrolet has provided funding through this powerful public-private partnership, and now with these new lights and equipment, far more boys and girls will have the opportunity to play ball and get the outdoor exercise and fitness the game provides.  And I'm especially grateful for the tutoring and counseling the Academy also provides to not only develop better ballplayers, but also better students and citizens as well.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy

The MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton is part of Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Initiative. Encompassing more than 20 acres on the campus of El Camino College, Compton Center, the Academy is a state-of-the-art facility featuring four fields, including a show field complete with scoreboard, grandstand seating, dugouts and lights; an auxiliary field; softball field; youth field; and a 12,000 square-foot clubhouse consisting of a weight room, locker room, and other training facilities, as well as batting cages and pitching mounds. The Academy operates on a year-round basis, offering free baseball and softball instruction, as well as clinics to youth throughout Southern California. MLB is committed to providing opportunities to play baseball and softball to young people in urban America through the establishment of the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academies. In addition to the first Academy in Compton, MLB has established and is operating the Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy at Sylvester Turner Park, the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy at Wesley Barrow Stadium, and the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.  MLB has also announced plans to build academies in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hialeah, Florida, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  For additional information regarding the MLB Urban Youth Academy, or any other upcoming clinics and seminars, please call the hotline at (310) 763-3479, or visit the website at:  www.YouthBaseballAcademy.com

About CBS EcoMedia Inc.

At EcoMedia, we’re propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that’s been our mission since we founded the company in 2002.  In 2008, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor media. 

Through our patent-pending EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects which in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide.  In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change.  Please visit ecomedia.cbs.com to learn more. 

By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities.  EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.