Two Senators sent a letter to Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Bud Selig to ban all tobacco use in baseball, with an emphasis on smokeless products.
Sens. Dick Durbin (IL) and Frank Lautenberg (NJ) are asking Selig to include such a ban during negotiations for a new collective bargaining contract which will be later this year.
Since 1993, tobacco use has been prohibited in MLB, but only in the minor leagues, the big leagues have allowed players to use tobacco during games.
The Senators were motivated when they read a recent artilce written by a fellow major league player. In the article, the player states that he started chewing tobacco because other major league players were doing it and he wanted to be like them. If professional athletes chew, only because their peers do it, what message are we sending our young fans?
With statistics showing that smokeless tobacco use is on the rise with male youth, it's time MLB steps up to the plate and strikes out all tobacco products from the game we love.
Full article can be read below:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/15/6058907-senators-ban-smokeless-tobacco-use-in-mlb-
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