Smokeless tobacco use harms health, leading to nicotine addiction and causing many types of cancer and other diseases. When Major League Baseball players use tobacco on the field – on the job, in public – it has even broader ramifications: Millions of kids look up to them and follow their lead. But we can stop this cycle in our city.

Right now, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering a bill to make all San Francisco baseball venues tobacco-free. And they need to know that we support it.

We're tired of seeing the consequences of the close connection between tobacco and America's pastime: Even as cigarette use continues to decline among youth, smokeless tobacco use has remained troublingly steady – and has even increased during the past decade. It's used by 14.7% of high school boys. And every year, 535,000 kids age 12-17 use it for the first time.

What players do in their personal lives is their own business, but using tobacco while millions of kids are watching is another matter. America's pastime should be about promoting a healthy and active lifestyle – not a deadly and addictive product.

With spring training underway, San Franciscans have an opportunity to send a message to MLB and the Players Association that if they won't act to protect kids, we will. Tell the Board of Supervisors to take tobacco out of baseball.