With opening day of the 2011 Major League Baseball season set for March 24, public health officials in 15 U.S. cities are calling on Commissioner Bud Selig and the Major League Baseball Players Association to ban tobacco use by players, managers, coaches, and other staff at major league ballparks.
Tobacco use was banned in baseball's minor leagues in 1993, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Hockey League have instituted prohibitions on tobacco use, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
The directors of health departments from every region of the U.S. -- representing a majority of cities where Major League Baseball is played -- wrote to Selig and Michael Weiner, executive director of the players' union, asking them to agree to prohibit tobacco use in the contract that takes effect in 2012. The new collective bargaining agreement is being negotiated now.
"Baseball players are role models for our children, making impressions that last a lifetime. It's time for major leaguers to step up to the plate like the rest of professional baseball and go tobacco-free," said David Fleming, director and health officer for Public Health in Seattle and King County, WA, in a press release.
Smokeless tobacco use among high school boys is spiking: There has been a 36% increase since 2003, and 15% of high school boys currently use smokeless tobacco, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The use of smokeless tobacco in Major League Baseball has drawn scrutiny from Congress and the media for months. In April 2010, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), held a hearing on the issue. Last month, U.S. Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) called for Major League Baseball and the players association to ban the use of tobacco products. The senators cited Washington Nationals' pitching ace Stephen Strasburg's struggle to overcome his addiction to smokeless tobacco.
In addition to Strasburg, those who have spoken about the challenge of quitting include American League Most Valuable Player Josh Hamilton and Bruce Bochy, manager of the San Francisco Giants. Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn's recent cancer diagnosis and his public comments attributing his disease to years of chewing tobacco have underscored the health threat from smokeless tobacco.
