Usage of dip tobacco by baseball players is a well-documented and majorly publicized event. The advertisement of dip tobacco is connected to baseball both for the implication of a healthy lifestyle that sports give, and the market potential of famous baseball stars. While dip tobacco has had a significant impact on baseball, specifically, it affected both the players and the fans.
Dip tobacco as a tradition in baseball
Baseball has often been described as the nation’s religion and has a special place in American hearts. There is very little knowledge about the number of players that use smokeless tobacco. A recent study showed that approximately 45 percent of major league basketball players use dip tobacco. The players apparently use tobacco because it enhances their performance due to the presence of nicotine in it. There is an assumption that nicotine helps in improving certain aspects of physiology. Dip originally became popular among baseball players because it kept their mouths moist on the dry and dusty fields during long games while the tobacco spit helped them in softening their hard gloves. Lenny Dykstra, Mike Miller, Tony Gwynn, Chris Sale, and Tyrann Mathieu are some names that come to our minds when we think about celebrities who used to dip or Continue to do so.
A home run for big tobacco
From 1920 till 1940, when Americans were crazy about baseball, every team had a tobacco sponsor. Usage of the dip was quite a ritual among young players. According to Major league Baseball, this practice is being discontinued by many players. There was a misconception among players back then, that the usage of smokeless tobacco improves focus and concentration on the game, and was less harmful than a pack of cigarettes. Most players have made attempts to get rid of the habit, but the majority of players are still struggling to break their addiction with dipping.
Major League Baseball calls for a ban
Baseball authorities are raising concerns about the image being sent to fans. The dip has already been banned in minor leagues for almost 20 years now. Major league baseball commissioner Bud Selig shared his views by saying that usage of dip must be revoked at all costs in the major league too, where the habit of dipping in arguably more public and influential. At the present moment, MLB has restricted baseball players from dipping openly, but it is not banned yet. Players no longer can carry dip in their uniforms to the ground, in public, or use it during interviews. So Baseball Players Dipping is so popular.
Views of a former dipper
Gary Shears, a former dipper and commissioner of the New Jersey Independent Baseball league, does not believe in the institution of an outright ban. He said no one has the right to mandate someone to have a good habit or to value their health. Restricting baseball players from chewing a dip on the field is not right. As many players endorsed the sentiments, but health organizations continue to push for a full ban, as it would lead to being the deadliest tradition in any game whatsoever.
