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davidcyclebackSports stars were used for cigarette advertising at least into the 1950s. You see ad signs featuring DiMaggio, Ted Wiliams, Willie Mays, Stan Musial and more. I know football player Earl Campbell was used in Skoal ads in the 1970s. As a kid I wrote for Campbell's autograph and he mailed me a signed Skoal photo! Duly note that it didn't induce me to chew.
So, tobacco had no problem using sports stars and many sports stars had no problems with tobacco-- it's just that tobacco didn't use baseball cards for advertising. The notable exception being the 1950s Red Man cards.
As the US tobacco companies are not supposed to advertise/promote to kids, my guess is that it would be interpreted as illegal under existing law to sell baseball cards in cigarette packs. Baseball cards probably isn't explicitly mentioned in the law(s), but cards in packs would be compared to bundling cigarette packs with Elmo or Barney dolls. Cigarette companies do have all sorts of shiny promos and premiums-- jackets, hats, coolers, etc--, but baseball cards likely would be classified as a kid's toy (That adults collect kid's toys is more of a reflection of the adult than the cards).
02-08-2007, 12:06 PM
Tobacco Cards
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