Major leaguers are "unsure how they will respond" to an ordinance banning smokeless tobacco from public athletic fields that proponents expect to sweep through cities that are home to professional franchises across the United States.
"We’re all grown-ups. You should be able to make your own decisions," George Kontos, a relief pitcher for the Giants, told the New York Times.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee signed an ordinance in May that banned smokeless tobacco from all public athletic fields in the city, including AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.
"It will turn into an inevitability," Matthew Myers, president of the non-profit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told the Times. "This is going to happen. The only question is, will it happen in enough cities so that baseball is tobacco-free by next year? Or will it take one more year?"
Myers said he expects at least six more cities to follow suit by the end of the calendar year, and the Los Angeles city council has proposed similar legislation that could affect other Major League franchises in the area.
The relationship between tobacco and baseball dates back to the 1920s, but recent legislation could result in a sharp decline in the number of professional ball players that use smokeless tobacco during games.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids argues that widespread use of tobacco among pro baseball players influences children to engage in the habit.
"For most members of City Councils, concerned about kids in their community, this is a no-brainer," Myers said.
An April 2015 University of California study found that nearly 15 percent of U.S. high school males use smokeless tobacco, and its prevalence was higher among students who participate in at least one organized sport than among their non-athlete peers.
The legislation is scheduled to take effect at AT&T Park starting Jan. 1, 2016.