How the Yankees are reacting to New York’s sports tobacco ban

On Tuesday, New York’s City Council passed legislation that will prohibit the use of all tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, at all ticketed sporting sites in the city. The bill passed by an overwhelming 44-3 vote, according to a New York Times report.

That’s a pretty big story in the baseball world for a couple reasons. First and foremost, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field would be covered by the bill once it’s signed in to law by mayor Bill de Blasio. In the same vain, smokeless tobacco is a popular item among players, so those who use will have to make serious adjustments, perhaps by opening day.

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According to the Times story, several players on both teams will be impacted. That includes Yankees reliever Andrew Miller and Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who often smokes cigarettes around the park. Yes, even that will be banned under the new law, which further highlights the wide-ranging circumstances.

For the most part, the players knew it was coming. Still, there are questions and concerns about what this will mean for them personally. As the Times story notes, there are even some players who don’t use that are questioning what purpose the new law will serve in the big picture.

Andrew Miller, a Yankee reliever who no longer uses smokeless tobacco, pointed out: “It’s a completely legal substance. It’s available to purchase at any 7-Eleven.”

One Yankee who said he did not use the substance, Chase Headley, wondered, “How is it legal around town, around wherever else, but just at the ballpark it’s not?”

Headley’s question can be answered rather simply. There are strong movements, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, that aim to discourage children from starting the habit. Those movements have gained the support of high ranking officials in several states, and even from Major League Baseball itself. That’s why tobacco use has been banned in minor league ballparks. Although no uniform ban is in place at the big-league level, warnings and fines can be handed down if it’s being used on camera.

Both the Yankees and Mets expressed support for the legislation last month. In fact, Corey Johnson, the New York City Council member who sponsored the law, told the Times that “the teams have agreed that they’re not going to allow it to happen.”

While both teams are completely on board, they’re also hoping to make things easier on players who are used to dipping at the ballpark. The Yankees, for example, posted a sign in their clubhouse telling players that anyone wanting nicotine replacement therapy supplies to “kick the habit” should see the team trainer.

It was more of a suggestion at first, though most understood the issue at hand. Now it’s essentially a warning, since the legislation has officially passed and it’s seemingly only a matter of time before it becomes law. Once it is in place, Johnson says that signs would be posted in both stadiums and that a system of fines would be worked out. 

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Of course, even with these guidelines in place, there will be players attempting to tip-toe around them. To those people, Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran says this.

Carlos Beltran, who does not use smokeless tobacco, gave his teammates free advice. He said they could continue to use it, but make sure not to get caught — in other words, find a place where no one was watching because “Major League Baseball has cameras all over the place.”  

It will be interesting to see how often the new law is challenged, and how strictly it will be enforced when such challenges occur. It’s a law now, so it’ll be different than an umpire spotting a foreign substance on a glove or baseball. 

At least New York players won’t be alone in making this adjustment. In October, California Gov. Jerry Brown took perhaps the biggest step in the battle to eliminate smokeless tobacco use from MLB by signing a bill that bans its use in each of the state’s five major-league ballparks. New York’s bill will make it seven ballparks, and with similar laws developing in Boston, Chicago and Toronto, that list will continue growing.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813