Smokeless tobacco, which can cause cancer, is associated with diseases of the mouth, and can lead to nicotine addiction, remains associated with baseball to this day.
Major League Baseball has taken some steps to limit the use of smokeless tobacco among players, including a 2016 rule prohibiting smokeless tobacco use during games for all new players under risk of penalty.
Some players have since switched to oral nicotine products such as Zyn, which is not technically a smokeless tobacco product because it is made from nicotine powder and does not contain tobacco leaf. Regardless of its source, nicotine is an addictive substance.
The use of smokeless tobacco products in baseball does not only extend to professional athletes, but also to younger amateur players. Data published in 2015 showed that smokeless tobacco is particularly popular with high school athletes, who use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate than non-athletes.
More recently, the prevalence of youth use of smokeless tobacco products has risen (0.9% in 2021 to 1.3% in 2022) as has youth use of oral nicotine pouches (0.8% in 2021 to 1.1% in 2022) according to annual NYTS data.
As more data emerge on youth use of both smokeless tobacco products and oral nicotine pouches, Major League Baseball may consider taking additional steps to limit tobacco industry influence at its games.