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Tobacco use in sports


nash61

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I think Van Slyke said something like "you can get lip cancer just sharing sharing centerfield with Dykstra."

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

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Maybe Tony Gwynn's death will change some minds in regards to chewing tobacco.

Also, I can't believe how many guys even in the Intercounty Baseball League (Canada) dip.

On September 20, 2012 at 0:50 AM, 'CS85 said:

It's like watching the hellish undead creakily shuffling their way out of the flames of a liposuction clinic dumpster fire.

On February 19, 2012 at 9:30 AM, 'pianoknight said:

Story B: Red Wings go undefeated and score 100 goals in every game. They also beat a team comprised of Godzilla, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, 2 Power Rangers and Betty White. Oh, and they played in the middle of Iraq on a military base. In the sand. With no ice. Santa gave them special sand-skates that allowed them to play in shorts and t-shirts in 115 degree weather. Jesus, Zeus and Buddha watched from the sidelines and ate cotton candy.

POTD 5/24/12POTD 2/26/17

 

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I cant think of a big casualty to smokeless tobacco than Gwynn. I know its banned in most of the minors, maybe MLB can ban it soon.

It's "banned" in the minors, but it's absolutely still used. The umps and other officials (the fabled "dip police") look out for cans and pouches, but dip can be transferred to containers other than cans or pouches. Or they put it in before leaving the clubhouse.

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It's a cultural problem, really. Banning it at the Minor, or even Major, league level won't change anything. You have to change the culture of the game as early as possible. As with most of society's ills the answer is education ;)

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It's a cultural problem, really. Banning it at the Minor, or even Major, league level won't change anything. You have to change the culture of the game as early as possible. As with most of society's ills the answer is education ;)

Maybe 30-40 years ago. Now, as with most of society's ills, the answer is being born into a wealthy family who can afford to pay for a better residence, a better school and access to the best testing services so that the student can get a better collegiate financial aid package to get that education.*

*because of financial aid being rewarded in America on a merit-basis, kids born into more-wealthy households will already have the resources and typically show better grades and have more extra-curriculums than their less-wealthy peers, which in turn will result in the federal government awarding such with a more favorable aid package (more grants and scholarships). So yes, what I said is plausible

Back to the topic, when I covered high school baseball, I noticed that whenever scouts and assistant coaches for farm teams were in attendance checking out prospects, the older ones (50-somethings) were huddled in the front of the bleachers chewing on Skoal discs while taking their notes. Scouts younger than, say 50, were wise enough to forego the tobacco, especially in situations where scouts wanted to talk to me about such and such player from our high school for more insight. I do agree with some people on here when they say that chewing tobacco is a generational thing.

Baby Boomers were probably the last set of baseball fans to see widespread use of chewing tobacco around the game. They grew up watching their heroes mastucate those tar bars on a normal basis and some of those people as adults began using smokeless tobacco on a routine basis themselves. As more and more people saw the deadly effects of tobacco (as well as the efforts by anti-tobacco groups beginning in the 1970s), the fad of using such product began to wane. I see more and more up-and-coming coaches opting for sunflower seeds (and chewing lots of those) in favor of tobacco, and his players have usually followed suit. While I don't expect complete eradication of smokeless tobacco anytime soon, the next generation of baseball ambassadors will make sure that baseball and smokeless tobacco are mutually exclusive towards tomorrow's kids.

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It's a cultural problem, really. Banning it at the Minor, or even Major, league level won't change anything. You have to change the culture of the game as early as possible. As with most of society's ills the answer is education ;)

Maybe 30-40 years ago. Now, as with most of society's ills, the answer is being born into a wealthy family who can afford to pay for a better residence, a better school and access to the best testing services so that the student can get a better collegiate financial aid package to get that education.*

Um...no. You don't need to go to the best private schools to learn "tobacco's bad, m'kay?"

Hell, if you're born into a poor family then what are you doing smoking anyway? You don't have money to waste on cigarettes like those rich kids do! :upside:

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It's a cultural problem, really. Banning it at the Minor, or even Major, league level won't change anything. You have to change the culture of the game as early as possible. As with most of society's ills the answer is education ;)

Maybe 30-40 years ago. Now, as with most of society's ills, the answer is being born into a wealthy family who can afford to pay for a better residence, a better school and access to the best testing services so that the student can get a better collegiate financial aid package to get that education.*

*because of financial aid being rewarded in America on a merit-basis, kids born into more-wealthy households will already have the resources and typically show better grades and have more extra-curriculums than their less-wealthy peers, which in turn will result in the federal government awarding such with a more favorable aid package (more grants and scholarships). So yes, what I said is plausible

Back to the topic, when I covered high school baseball, I noticed that whenever scouts and assistant coaches for farm teams were in attendance checking out prospects, the older ones (50-somethings) were huddled in the front of the bleachers chewing on Skoal discs while taking their notes. Scouts younger than, say 50, were wise enough to forego the tobacco, especially in situations where scouts wanted to talk to me about such and such player from our high school for more insight. I do agree with some people on here when they say that chewing tobacco is a generational thing.

Baby Boomers were probably the last set of baseball fans to see widespread use of chewing tobacco around the game. They grew up watching their heroes mastucate those tar bars on a normal basis and some of those people as adults began using smokeless tobacco on a routine basis themselves. As more and more people saw the deadly effects of tobacco (as well as the efforts by anti-tobacco groups beginning in the 1970s), the fad of using such product began to wane. I see more and more up-and-coming coaches opting for sunflower seeds (and chewing lots of those) in favor of tobacco, and his players have usually followed suit. While I don't expect complete eradication of smokeless tobacco anytime soon, the next generation of baseball ambassadors will make sure that baseball and smokeless tobacco are mutually exclusive towards tomorrow's kids.

Smokeless tobacco use is in no way on the decline.

Source: Sitting in a dugout yesterday next to three players under 25 who were dipping, with tins in their lockers.

EDIT: The Hockey News had a great article about it: http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/tony-gwynns-tragic-death-from-chewing-tobacco-is-a-wakeup-call-for-the-nhl-and-hockey-world/

On September 20, 2012 at 0:50 AM, 'CS85 said:

It's like watching the hellish undead creakily shuffling their way out of the flames of a liposuction clinic dumpster fire.

On February 19, 2012 at 9:30 AM, 'pianoknight said:

Story B: Red Wings go undefeated and score 100 goals in every game. They also beat a team comprised of Godzilla, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, 2 Power Rangers and Betty White. Oh, and they played in the middle of Iraq on a military base. In the sand. With no ice. Santa gave them special sand-skates that allowed them to play in shorts and t-shirts in 115 degree weather. Jesus, Zeus and Buddha watched from the sidelines and ate cotton candy.

POTD 5/24/12POTD 2/26/17

 

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Yeah, hockey players are awful with smokeless tobacco, especially the Swedes and their snus. Then there's Todd Bertuzzi, who cuts the skin between his toes with a razor blade and sticks dip between his toes so that it goes into his bloodstream that way, EW EW EW EW EW.

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It's a cultural problem, really. Banning it at the Minor, or even Major, league level won't change anything. You have to change the culture of the game as early as possible. As with most of society's ills the answer is education ;)

Maybe 30-40 years ago. Now, as with most of society's ills, the answer is being born into a wealthy family who can afford to pay for a better residence, a better school and access to the best testing services so that the student can get a better collegiate financial aid package to get that education.*

*because of financial aid being rewarded in America on a merit-basis, kids born into more-wealthy households will already have the resources and typically show better grades and have more extra-curriculums than their less-wealthy peers, which in turn will result in the federal government awarding such with a more favorable aid package (more grants and scholarships). So yes, what I said is plausible

Back to the topic, when I covered high school baseball, I noticed that whenever scouts and assistant coaches for farm teams were in attendance checking out prospects, the older ones (50-somethings) were huddled in the front of the bleachers chewing on Skoal discs while taking their notes. Scouts younger than, say 50, were wise enough to forego the tobacco, especially in situations where scouts wanted to talk to me about such and such player from our high school for more insight. I do agree with some people on here when they say that chewing tobacco is a generational thing.

Baby Boomers were probably the last set of baseball fans to see widespread use of chewing tobacco around the game. They grew up watching their heroes mastucate those tar bars on a normal basis and some of those people as adults began using smokeless tobacco on a routine basis themselves. As more and more people saw the deadly effects of tobacco (as well as the efforts by anti-tobacco groups beginning in the 1970s), the fad of using such product began to wane. I see more and more up-and-coming coaches opting for sunflower seeds (and chewing lots of those) in favor of tobacco, and his players have usually followed suit. While I don't expect complete eradication of smokeless tobacco anytime soon, the next generation of baseball ambassadors will make sure that baseball and smokeless tobacco are mutually exclusive towards tomorrow's kids.

Smokeless tobacco use is in no way on the decline.

Source: Sitting in a dugout yesterday next to three players under 25 who were dipping, with tins in their lockers.

EDIT: The Hockey News had a great article about it: http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/tony-gwynns-tragic-death-from-chewing-tobacco-is-a-wakeup-call-for-the-nhl-and-hockey-world/

I really like that article, besides how he linked to a Big League Chew t-shirt and said it was chewing tobacco being indirectly marketed to kids :).

I personally don't chew tobacco and I think it's gross, but on the other hand, they are all adults and are capable of making their own legal decisions. On the other otther hand it starts a culture of players needing chewing tobacco.

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I really don't understand dipping. At least cigarettes have some historical "cool" behind them, work great as personal props and tap into the American myth of the individual.

But dipping? Nobody in history has ever made a case that chewing a wad of tobacco was sexy, sophisticated, or glamorous. "Bovine Chic" has yet to sweep the world.

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