OT: Smoking and Stadiums

[frikativ54]

Hello All,

I thought I would share my interesting pick-up with the forum. For my Anthropology degree, I have been writing a thesis about smoking and American culture. The following collectible, from the mezzanine of old Shea stadium, fits the theme perfectly. For $25, I couldn't beat the price.



One of the things I'm looking at are contested spaces, places where smoking and the idea of healthfulness come into conflict. Of course, one of the solutions to the conflict between smokers' rights and the rights of non-smokers to breathe clean air is to create designated smoking areas.

What are the policies toward smoking at MLB stadiums? Growing up, I remember that the occasional person would smoke in his/her seat, much to the chagrin of non-smokers. I'm not sure that you can do that anymore in either an indoor or an outdoor stadium.

I would be curious to read your stories about cigarettes and American baseball stadiums.

[earlywynnfan]

Being a lifetime non-smoker, I don't really have any baseball/smoking stories, but here in Cleveland we built a new stadium in the mid-90's with a "sin tax," which was a tax in the county on cigs and alcohol. As soon as the stadium went up, they announced that you would only be able to smoke on an outside platform sticking off the upper deck, facing the street where you couldn't see any of the action.

To this day, the irony of it all cracks me up.

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

[mariner_gamers]

1997 playoff at the Kingdome. My brother rushes out to the exit ramps ahead of all of us to see if he can bum a smoke. A couple minutes later we make our way out and find my brother BS'ing with Soundgarden sans Chris Cornell. As we all make our way down the exit I ask my brother if he bummed a cig off one of those guys. "Yeah they were really cool guys" I said, "You know that is Soundgarden" His reply "Nah your crazy...." We argue to the bottom of the ramps at which point 2 teenage girls run up with Soundgarden T-shirts on and get the band to sign them. There is a crazy brotherhood among smokers regardless of status, money, etc........

[metsbats]

Back in the 80's you can smoke just about anywhere in the stadium

[metsbats]

Back in the 80's you can smoke just about anywhere in the stadium

Just ask Keith!

[otismalibu]

[karamaxjoe]

Some of my earliest memories of night games at old Comiskey Park included a haze of smoke hovering over the diamond.

[mariner_gamers]

This picture is awesome!! I would love to have it in poster size!!!

[Manram]

Cool pictures

[Fnazxc0114]

at rangers ST a couple years ago i saw ron washington smoking in the dugout. At the ballpark in arlington they have areas around the perimeter where people can smoke.