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Tobacco usage in sport


Tobacco usage in sport is a well documented and publicised occurrence. Tobacco advertising has connected itself to sports both for the connotations of health that sports provide, as well as the marketing potential of famous athletes. Additionally, tobacco has played a role in the sport of baseball specifically and has affected both the rules affecting players and fan alike. Agencies such as the CDC have used sports as platforms for tobacco prevention programs, specifically targeted at younger people.

For many years, tobacco companies have played a monumental role in advertising within the sports industry. Major tobacco companies have employed the strategies of athletic endorsements, sponsorships of major athletic events, and creating powerful associations of tobacco and active lifestyles in order to advertise their products. The connection between sports and tobacco can be traced back to the origins of professional sports. Shortly after the National Baseball League's inception in 1876, trading cards with player's images emerged within cigarette packages. One of the oldest brands of chewing tobacco, Bull Durham, advertised on outfield fences in baseball parks in the United States South. Despite this long-standing history, there have been many recent developments and changes in tobacco's relation to athletics. Currently, trends have shifted as athletes today are more likely to endorse tobacco prevention efforts as opposed to tobacco products.

From the 1920s to 1940s baseball furthered its relation with tobacco. Every major league team had a cigarette sponsor and baseball's greatest athletes such as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams, all appeared in cigarette advertisements.Lou Gehrig endorsed R. J. ReynoldsCamels, saying he could smoke as many as he pleased and creating the slogan that Camels “don’t get your wind.”


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