Snuffing tobacco out of sport.

Abstract

Use of oral snuff has risen sharply among baseball players following a tobacco industry marketing campaign that linked smokeless tobacco with athletic performance and virility. Millions of adolescents have copied these professional role models and, today, are at risk of developing oral cancer and other mouth disorders. New policies and programs are needed to break the powerful grip that the tobacco industry has on professional sport. Health agencies, including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Dental Research, have teamed up with major league baseball to help players quit and reduce public use of oral tobacco. If these efforts are successful, our national pastime will once again become America's classroom for teaching health and fitness, not nicotine addiction.

Key Determinants of the Health and Well-Being of Men and Boys

“…Beer commercials, for example, have been found to link men's drinking with taking risks and facing danger without fear (Signorielli, 1993;Strate, 1992). Tobacco companies link the use of smokeless tobacco with virility and athletic performance in marketing to men (Connolly, Orleans, & Blum, 1992).…”

Counteracting tobacco motor sports sponsorship as a promotional tool: is the tobacco settlement enough?

“…56,57 Several organizations have used automobile races to counterpromote tobacco. 23,58 A California-based project has created a tobacco-free racing car and team that competes in motor sports events. 59 An alternative approach that does not involve the enactment of new legislation or funding of new programs is simply enforcing the provisions of the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act.…”

“…[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] The sponsorship of televised motor sports events has been the primary tool used by tobacco companies to achieve continued television exposure for their brands in the presence of the television advertising ban. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] In 1998, US cigarette companies spent $125.6 million on sports sponsorship and related promotional efforts. 29 The sponsorship of motor sports events constitutes approximately 70% of tobacco sponsorship expenditures.…”

“…32 Although cigarette advertising on television has been prohibited since 1971, 33 and smokeless tobacco advertising on television has been prohibited since 1984, 34 several studies have reported that tobacco companies have circumvented these bans by sponsoring motor sports events and achieving television exposure of their brand names or logos. [20][21][22][23][24]28 However, the existing data have 2 major limitations. First, no recent data are available.…”

Factors Affecting High School Baseball Coaches’ Enforcement of School Tobacco Policy

“…This widespread use occurred in spite of a ban at the Little League level, a National Federation of State High School Associations recommendation against use, an NCAA regulation enacted in 1994, and a ban at the Minor League level enacted in 1993 that outlaws the use of ST products for all on-field personnel in practice and competition (Burak, 2001;Connolly, Orleans, & Blum, 1992;Eaves et al, 2009;Gansky et al, 2005;Severson, Klein, Lichtenstein, Kaufman, & Orleans, 2005;Sinusas & Coroso, 2006). The lack of enforcement of existing policies may reflect a lack of support from the coaches, either through negative role modeling (coaches' personal use) or through a reticence to enforce the ban (Chakravorty, Buchanan, & Osfeldt, 1997;Walsh et al, 1994;Walsh, Ellison, Hilton, Chesney, & Ernster, 2000).…”