100% TFS Toolkit – Coaches and Spit Tobacco

For decades, spit tobacco use has been closely associated with baseball. The image of prominent baseball players with an unmistakable wad of shredded tobacco in their cheek is a very familiar sight and has been imprinted in our collective psyche. Today spit tobacco use is recognized as a real problem for youth and adults, and should not be taken lightly.

Spit tobacco, also known as smokeless tobacco, is a concentrated and dangerous form of tobacco and is not a safe alternative to smoking. In recent years many major league baseball players have publicly suffered severe consequences from its use, and several now publicize the harmful effects of spit tobacco and discourage young athletes from ever taking up the habit. As a result, spit tobacco is becoming less acceptable for professional athletes with each season that passes.

But despite these changes, North Carolina coaches may face particular challenges in convincing their student athletes to comply with a 100% Tobacco-Free Schools policy. The information and tools below will assist coaches of all sports promote compliance with the new policy, while helping their players kick a dangerous habit.

Click here to meet Gruen von Behrens and learn how spit tobacco ruined his life

Preseason Preparation: Know the Facts about Spit Tobacco

In the Locker Room: Talk to Your Players about Spit Tobacco

On the Field: Helping Everyone Comply with the 100% TFS policy

Preseason Preparation: Know the facts about Spit Tobacco

Youth and Spit Tobacco Use:

  • Nationally, about four percent of middle school students and seven percent of high school students reported using spit tobacco in 2003.
  • One in seven male high school students get hooked on spit tobacco through starter packs, which have less nicotine and artificial flavors like mint or cherry, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Spit tobacco is most popular among white males between 10 and 30 years old.
  • Many users start using smokeless tobacco because they think it will give them a macho image, or because they know a trusted adult who is a user.

Smokeless Does Not Mean Harmless:

  • Each dip of spit tobacco contains the same amount of nicotine as 2-5 cigarettes.
  • One tin of the stronger brands of moist snuff has the nicotine equivalent to four packs of cigarettes (80 cigarettes).
  • Spit tobacco contains more than 2500 different chemicals and 28 are known carcinogens (cancer causing agents).
  • A 2005 study by the American Cancer Society showed men who use spit tobacco have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke than men who have never used tobacco.
  • Some of the health consequences of spit tobacco are:
    • Nicotine addiction and dependence
    • Staining of teeth and halitosis (bad breath)
    • Dental caries (cavities)
    • Tooth abrasion
    • Gingivitis and periodontal disease
    • Increased risk of stomach problems
    • Diseases and conditions of the cardiovascular system (heart, stroke, and high blood pressure)
    • Leukoplakia (white patches on the lips and gums)
    • Oral cancer
    • Death

In the Locker Room: Talk to Your Players about Spit Tobacco

  • The first step in helping your players avoid using spit tobacco is to set a good example. A 100% TFS policy includes everyone on school property at all school events, including coaches at games and practice. Click here for resources on how to quit.
  • The North Carolina Spit Tobacco Education program (NC STEP) provides a step-by-step guide on how to talk to students about spit tobacco. Available materials include activities illustrating the harmful effects of spit tobacco and a quiz to assess if a student is addicted to spit tobacco. Your students may learn these lessons in their healthful living classes, but it's good to reinforce them outside of the classroom during the sports season. For more information or to order a complete NC STEP education program guide, including videos and a learning module CD, contact Paul Turner at 828-648-1211.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a Tobacco Free Sports initiative and includes a downloadable Tobacco Free Sports Playbook. The playbook includes a guide for how to contact local professional athletes to speak to students about the risks of tobacco.

On the Field: Helping Everyone Comply with the 100% TFS policy

  • Encourage players to help each other comply with the 100% TFS policy. Student athletes are often role models for other students and can be important resources for helping the entire school comply.
  • Set firm team rules, including a game suspension policy for those players who are caught using tobacco on school grounds.
  • Ask your stadium announcer to bring attention to the 100% TFS policy before and during the game. Remember - the game is tobacco-free, not smoke-free only. Click here for examples of announcements that can be customized for your sport and school.
  • Ask parents of athletes to help promote compliance during games. They could hand out information cards to visitors who are using tobacco, assemble packages of alternatives to spit tobacco (such as sugarless chewing gum) or work in teams to monitor visitor's behavior while on school property.