For decades, baseball and tobacco were intertwined. The image of a typical baseball player often included a wad of chewing tobacco in the cheek or a pinch of snuff under the lip. No more. As of 2010, tobacco use is completely banned in college baseball, illegal in minor league baseball (with one small exception), and strongly discouraged in the major leagues. Today, that wad in the cheek is more likely to be bubble gum or sunflower seeds.
College
In 1990, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the governing body for major college sports, banned tobacco use during championship activities, both on the field and at off-field events such as banquets. The NCAA extended the ban to all regular-season practices and games in 1994. Umpires who saw tobacco use were supposed to eject offending players or coaches from games. In reality, however, the ban was rarely enforced, according to the NCAA. That led to a "zero-tolerance" crackdown beginning in 2002. Umpires are instructed to eject players and coaches just for possessing tobacco --- such as a can of snuff visible in a pocket --- even if they're not using it at the time.
Minor Leagues
All tobacco use is banned in minor leagues affiliated with Major League Baseball. MLB has the authority to set policy for the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the umbrella organization for the minor league system. In 1991, it banned chewing tobacco in the lower minors. Two years later, it extended the ban to all tobacco products in the entire system. All uniformed personnel --- players, coaches, and umpires --- were prohibited from using any tobacco in the "workplace," defined as the ballpark, team facilities, or team buses. Fines for violations started at $100; the base fine was $1,000 as of 2010. According to players interviewed by MLB.com in 2008, the ban is backed up by action: Players and their lockers are subject to tobacco checks.
The ban does not apply to non-uniformed team players, and one group of players is exempt: major leaguers on rehabilitation assignments to the minor leagues.
Major Leagues
Though lower levels of baseball have instituted a total ban on tobacco, no such prohibition exists in Major League Baseball. The reason: Work rules in the big leagues are collectively bargained, and players have resisted through their union. That's why a major leaguer in the minors rehabbing an injury can use tobacco, but one who has been demoted cannot. Still, MLB aims to discourage tobacco use. During spring training, teams hold clubhouse presentations to warn players of the dangers of tobacco. Starting in 1998, tobacco company representatives were banned from clubhouses, where they previously would leave free cans of snuff and bags of chewing tobacco. MLB also forbids teams from providing tobacco products to players. An American League equipment manager who spoke anonymously to MLB.com said the absence of free tobacco significantly reduced use by players because so many didn't want to buy their own products. "Not only are some of these guys cheap," the equipment manager said, "but they're also pretty spoiled and lazy."
References
- Major League Baseball: Tobacco use in baseball on the decline; Mychael Urban; July 29, 2008
- "Washington Post"; Baseball Defies Expectorations; Lawrence Rocca; June 16, 1993
- "New York Times"; Tobacco Ban in Minors; June 3, 1993
- National Collegiate Athletic Association: Baseball's Zero-Tolerance Policy Calling Tobacco Out at the Plate; Ty Halpin; May 26, 2003
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