Limits on smokeless tobacco use included in the new Major League Baseball (MLB) contract represent a historic first step to protect the health of big league players and millions of young fans who look up to them.
Under an agreement signed by MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association, players, managers, and coaches will no longer be able to carry a tobacco tin or package in their uniforms at games or any time that fans are in the ballpark. They will also be prohibited from using smokeless tobacco during televised interviews, at autograph signings, and other events where they meet fans, or at team-sponsored appearances.
The restrictions will become effective in the five-year contract that takes effect in 2012; violators are subject to discipline.
