In the 1910s and decades after, a trip to a major league ballpark often included a good view of a tobacco ad, often above the scoreboard or exits.
This method of advertising became especially valuable for tobacco companies after 1971, when tobacco commercials were prohibited from appearing on television. As SRITA explains, “Without technically advertising on television, cigarette companies received significant ad time on television through these billboards.”
Baseball has appeared in tobacco advertisements in many other forms. Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle are just a few of the famous players who have appeared in tobacco ads.