Baseball values sportsmanship but is teaching its young fans it values tattling too! It was announced in November that MLB players are no longer allowed to chew tobacco in games. Under the agreement reached by the league and the players association, major-league players, managers and coaches are not allowed to carry a tobacco tin or package in their uniform at any time fans are in the ballpark. This includes during interviews, autograph sessions and team events.
In an effort to teach young fans to be tobacco free, the league is instead teaching kids to tattle on their heroes. Fans can fill out a complaint under the Knock Tobacco Out of the Park Coalition. The online form requires fans to give the date, player and event they witnessed the violation… no word yet if there is a section to report Jim Leyland smoking cigarettes.
