It's a balmy Southern California night at Anaheim Stadium, where more than
16,000 Angel's faithful have gathered to watch America's favorite pastime. I am
surrounded on all sides by children, cheering, munching hot dogs and batting
beach balls around. Although their attention to events on the field is sporadic,
all eyes are now fixed in rapt attention upon the giant TV screen high atop the
stadium in left-center field, where a colossal Goofy is attempting to hit an
elusive ball with comic ineptitude. Let the eye stray upward, directly above the
cartoon figure, and it is caught by a huge brightly lighted billboard photograph
of a ruggedly handsome cowboy with the letters MARLBORO emblazoned in red
above.This is presumably Marlboro man III, since the first two cowpokes are
known to have died from lung cancer.) At least four other Marlboro ads are
prominently displayed around the park. (see images below)
More than 430,000 Americans will die this year from complications of
cigarette smoking, including more than 150,000 who will die of lung cancer. In
order to maintain their enormous profits, cigarette companies need to replace
these ex-customers. Since almost all new smokers come from the under-21 age
group, it is pretty obvious who will be the target of the more than five billion
dollars spent annually on cigarette advertising. We have come to expect such
predation from the tobacco industry and their sleazy representative to
childhood, "cool" Joe Camel. But Goofy? Say it ain't so--- Goofy!
The Disney Corporation has expanded into professional sports in a big way over
the past few years. Step one, was into films, "The Mighty Ducks" and "Angels
in the Outfield". Then they built a gleaming marble and brass hockey palace
in Anaheim and acquired an expansion NHL team to play in it. The experiment has
proven wildly successful. Each game, the Pond is packed to the back rows with
children, thousands of them, clad in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of
goalie masks, Mighty Ducks jerseys and jackets. The din of a myriad of duck
calls quack and squawk in the night. Disney cartoons appear on the scoreboard
incessantly and Tinkerbell sprinkles magic dust on Duck goal-scorers during
video replays. Now Disney has annexed the California Angels to the Magic
Kingdom. This move will probably prove to be just as profitable for them in the
long run.
But, along with the profit derived from entertaining the children of
America goes the responsibility not to expose them to harm. Cigarette
advertising has been conclusively shown to do just that. President Clinton, FDA
chief David Kessler and all medical organizations and societies (including the
American Cancer Society Foundation, who's secretary is Diane Disney Miller,
Walt's daughter) have agreed that cigarette advertising aimed at children should
be banned. The Marlboro signs at Angel Stadium are a clear violation of this
principle and should be razed immediately.
Southern California sports fans have been saddened by recent news of cancer
in local sports heroes and their families. Bret Butler's tonsilar cancer is
presumably caused by the carcinogens present in chewing tobacco. (Butler is
certainly a responsible person. When he heard that a child wanted to emulate him
by chewing tobacco, Butler told the youth that he would quit, if the child
would. He did quit, living up to his part of the bargain.) The tragic death of
Michele Carew and the illness of Mighty Duck hockey player Milos Holan have
directly affected the extended Disney family. Walt Disney himself died from lung
cancer in 1966 at age 65 and his son-in-law Bob Brown died of the same disease
at age 38.
Is it too much to expect the Disney Corporation, the California Angels and
the City of Anaheim to show a little more respect for the health and safety of
the children of their fans and customers? Until they clean out this
irresponsible advertising, I, for one, won't be going "out to the old ball
game" anytime soon.
Post-script:
The Disney Corporation responded, lethargically, to this complaint by
stating that they would take the matter under advisement, but that no immediate
action was contemplated, as they were bound by contractual arrangements from the
previous owner..
The Los Angeles Dodgers responded within 24 hours. They state that they
have no cigarette ads in Dodger Stadium; nor do they allow their players to chew
tobacco at the stadium or to be filmed with tobacco products. This behavior on
the part of the Dodger organization is so ethically and socially responsible
that I may, finally, find it in my heart to forgive them for abandoning Brooklyn
40 years ago.
Frederic W. Grannis Jr.
MD
Post-script: Sometimes complaining works! On opening day at Angel's
Edison Stadium April 1998 the Marlboro signs were gone.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been purchased by Rupert Murdoch, a long time
friend of big tobacco. Expect to see a reversal of the Dodgers previously
responsible policy.
