The Hidden Ball Trick: Major League Baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement Attempts to Hide Tobacco Use by Players

Abstract

(13 Willamette Sports L.J., no. 1, 2015, at 41). This article describes the history of tobacco use in Major League Baseball (MLB) and its regulation by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The CBA permits some tobacco use, but requires players and coaches to conceal tobacco packages and prohibits them from using tobacco during media interviews. The article traces the development of tobacco-control laws in the US. The author argues that states and municipalities should ban all use of tobacco in MLB stadiums, thereby circumventing the CBA.