Tobacco Facts.

The Outsiders are an ever-expanding beacon of hope for youth baseball players in the Bronx, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of the players, including their health and well-being.

So when you attend an Outsiders game and hear the inevitable “Who’s got dip?” chorus, it can be jarring.

But the truth is, tobacco use - especially “dipping” with snuff - has been synonymous with the Outsiders ever since they were founded in 2003. For an organization that prides itself on education, there seems to be a serious and disturbing lack of recognition of the dangers of smokeless tobacco.

Of the 14 players polled on the 18-and-under Outsiders team, 11 of them say they have chewed tobacco. And not because it tastes good - most of the players interviewed say “dip” - or snuff - helps them focus and gives them extra energy, and that they do not view it in the same way as they do cigarettes.

Outsiders star catcher and team captain Victor Figueroa has been using snuff since he was 15. “Dip gives me energy,” he says. “It puts me in my zone.”

Fellow 18-year-old teammate Edison Montalvo says he dips only during baseball games, “to keep me hyped and focused.”

Interestingly, on a team that sometimes struggles with mental lapses on the field, many of the players asked about smokeless tobacco mentioned how snuff gets their head in the game. Clean-up hitter Darlyn Gonzalez says that dip “relaxes me.”

An Outsiders infielder, who is under 18 and therefore requires anonymity, says he dips more than eight times a week. “Dip puts me in a state of mind where I feel like I can dominate every obstacle that faces me,” he says.

Chewing tobacco has long been part of the fabric of baseball in the U.S. The tobacco craze began in the 1900s, when baseball players would chew to keep their mouths moist, then would spit on the baseball in order to throw spitballs. Baseball legend Babe Ruth died during this age of heavy tobacco use at 52 from a cancerous tumor caused by chewing tobacco.

Today, according to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that 40% of all Major League Baseball players and 30% of all minor league players chew tobacco on a daily basis.

In addition, one ACS study found that 59% of major league players who chew smokeless tobacco already have lesions that may develop into cancer. Unfortunately, athletes provide the largest source of marketing for tobacco companies, and are often seen chewing tobacco during televised games. Big league players are the No. 1 influence on tobacco abuse by underage kids.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30,000 people are diagnosed with mouth or throat cancer because of chewing tobacco use and 8,000 people die every year. Of the 12 to 14 million American users, one third are under the age of 21, and half of those users started before the age of 13.

Even with all the risks, Outsiders players are unfazed. “Scientists can say what they want,” says Figueroa, “but dip is just as big a part of the game as any bat or ball.”

While many people blame youth tobacco abuse on a lack of awareness, that is not necessarily true as far as the Outsiders are concerned. When asked, “Are you aware of the health risks associated with snuff?” 13 out of 14 players said they were well aware of the risks, but still choose to use.

The preferred tobacco among Outsiders players is snuff, a moist form of tobacco sold in tins. Players pinch the tobacco between their thumb and index finger, placing it in their lower lip below the gum line. The nicotine is absorbed through the tissue of the mouth and goes straight to the bloodstream.

Many young players mistakenly believe that smokeless tobacco is not as harmful as the tobacco found in cigarettes. However, an average serving of snuff delivers 3.6 milligrams of nicotine while one cigarette delivers only 1 mg, making dip three times as potent as cigarettes.

The Outsiders use of snuff is a microcosm of the much bigger issue of underage tobacco use in youth baseball. A CDC study reveals that 6% of adult males are current users of smokeless tobacco but that 13% of high school males and 4% of middle school males are current smokeless tobacco users. The startling data shows that the percentage of underage snuff users outnumber adult users 3 to 1. Unfortunately, the earlier a kid starts dipping, the more of a chance he or she will be addicted for life.

© Copyright: Nydailynews

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