San Francisco Knocks Tobacco Out of the Ballpark

Statement From Legacy CEO and President, Robin Koval

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May 08, 2015, 05:19 ET

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- San Francisco has taken the lead in protecting baseball players and fans from the health risks of chewing tobacco. The first-of-its-kind ban on all baseball fields includes AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants, and sets an important precedent within the world of Major League Baseball.

Major League Baseball players are heroes to young fans everywhere – and perhaps more important, they are role models. Legendary ballplayers like Tony Gwynn and Curt Schilling have spoken out about their personal experiences with chewing tobacco addiction and cancer, and this San Francisco ban will give more athletes the opportunity to set the right and life-saving example for their fans. When they stop dipping, their young fans will truly have role models worth emulating.

We congratulate the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Mayor Lee for their commitment to the health of baseball players of all ages. Almost a year after Tony Gwynn's death due to salivary cancer, this is an important first step in the fight to end what has been a fatal tradition within America's pastime.

Legacy

Legacy envisions an America where tobacco is a thing of the past, where all youth and young adults reject tobacco use. Legacy's proven-effective and nationally recognized public education programs include truth®, the national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more about Legacy's life-saving programs, visit www.LegacyForHealth.org.

Follow us on Twitter at @legacyforhealth and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Legacy .

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