What will it take to change?

I am a life-long Red Sox fan. I cheer for them even when I'm home alone. I attend as many games at Fenway as I can afford. I work with high school students. Over the past year I have been seriously questioning my loyalty to the game. There's one simple reason: Chewing Tobacco. It was reported by the Boston Globe that the Red Sox are the worst offenders in MLB in using chewing tobacco. Just a few reminders about chewing tobacco: An estimated 7.6 million Americans age 12 and older (3.4 percent) had used smokeless tobacco in the past month. Smokeless tobacco use was most common among young adults ages 18 to 25. Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents (carcinogens). It is a known cause of human cancer, as it increases the risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity. Oral health problems strongly associated with... [read full story]