Storyline: Tobacco no longer has a place in baseball. It’s time to ban its use in all MLB parks. Written by Baylee Gerardo, Cal State University, Channel Islands
It’s no secret that people, especially youth of our society, idolize their heroes. Little Leaguers see that their favorite clean-up batter, Adrian Gonzalez, wears his Nike Vapor Elite Pro Batting Gloves or his Nike Air Huarache Pro Cleats and think to themselves, “Hey they make him great. I want to be like Gonzo.”
Courtesy: ESPN.go.com
So what happens when they see Gonzalez chewing smokeless tobacco as he walks up to the plate or while he’s protecting first base? If batting gloves and cleats contribute to his greatness, then why wouldn’t chewing tobacco do the same?
The same pattern carries on to high school athletes, who have dreams of playing at the collegiate level. perhaps even making it to the Big Leagues one day. They mimic their idols.
But what they are mimicking? The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that “high school athletes use smokeless tobacco at nearly twice the rate of non-athletes. Smokeless tobacco use among athletes increased more than 11% from 2001 to 2013, even as smoking rates have dropped in the past years. Among male high school athletes, smokeless tobacco use is particularly alarming at 17.4% in 2013.”
Tony Gwynn: He tied fatal mouth cancer to smokeless tobacco use (photo, CDSSports.com)
In an article written for ESPN.go.com by William Weinbaum and Michele Steele the authors reported that “an estimated 25-30 percent of MLB players dip or chew.” That’s according to Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York are the only cities in which chewing tobacco has been banned from baseball stadiums. That rule is enforced among players, umpires, managers, and, yes, even fans.
It’s time to ban the use of tobacco in all 30 MLB teams. Chicago White Sox owner, Jerry Reignsdorf, who shares that view said this to MLB council members urging them to pass the ban: ‘We strongly believe that children should not be exposed to smokeless or see such products being used by their on-field sports heroes.”
