Dodger Stadium will most likely be chewing tobacco-free as soon as January. The Los Angeles City Counsel voted Tuesday to move forward on a ban of all smokeless tobacco products at professional and amateur LA venues.
The proposal passed unanimously on a 14-0 vote, and is intended to keep tobacco products away from children and high school students. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that while smoking rates in general have dropped, chewing tobacco use among athletes in high school has increased from 2001 to 2013.
One the city attorney's office prepares the ordinance, the council will take one final vote to implement the ban. Similar bans are already in place for smoking and e-cigarettes.
Still, while chewing tobacco is part of the game for many ballplayers and fans, the Dodgers are on board with the ban. “Major League Baseball has long supported a ban of smokeless tobacco at the Major League level," the team said in an official statement. "The Los Angeles Dodgers fully support the Los Angeles city tobacco ordinance and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.”
LA's motion is part of a wave of bans. San Francisco passed a similar ordinance earlier this year, and Boston followed suit last week. Smoking was already prohibited at Dodgers Stadium.
Besides, who needs tobacco when you can eat a Dodger Dog, catch great views of LA's skyline and listen to Vin Scully's voice? There are plenty of reasons to go to a game, even if you're not a baseball fan.