Push for Stadium Smoking Ban Stirs Up Cloud of Controversy

He can be found peering over the left-field bleachers, a symbol of quiet authority. He’s the Marlboro Man, and he loves to smoke.

If Mike Gotch, a member of the Stadium Authority board of directors, gets his way, the Marlboro Man may become the last smoker in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

And even he isn’t safe.

“I think it ought to come down,” Gotch said of the sign, on which the Marlboro Man tends his herd of cattle while puffing away on a cigarette.

Gotch has proposed a ban on smoking in the stadium. The ordinance would outlaw smoking in any seating area but permit it on walkways and concourses.

Would Be a First for U.S. Stadiums

The nine-member Stadium Authority board has agreed to study the matter in committee. If the eight others go along with Gotch, the measure then proceeds to the City Council for a binding vote.

If it passes, San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium would be the only major outdoor stadium in the country that has a ban on smoking.

Gotch’s proposal has already stirred a cloud of controversy. Si Coleman, chairman of the Stadium Authority board, said that he has received no fewer than 125 letters since Gotch made the proposal several weeks ago. Coleman said the board will discuss the matter at its next scheduled meeting, on Sept. 1.

“It’s obviously an emotional issue with a lot of different viewpoints to consider,” Coleman said.

Gotch’s proposal has aroused not only emotion but also questions, one of which involves the Marlboro Man, who seems to stand a lonely--and circumspect--vigil in left field.

Gotch’s critics seem to think he is coming from somewhere in left field as well.

John Connolly, a spokesman for the New York-based Philip Morris Co., which markets Marlboro cigarettes and pays for the sign, offered a terse “no comment” when asked about Gotch’s proposal and his remark about putting the Marlboro Man out to pasture.

Connolly refused to say how much Philip Morris pays for the sign, although Gotch noted that five years ago it brought the San Diego Padres--who control advertising for the stadium--about $150,000 a year. (Stadium officials say the city receives about 10% of the revenues from such advertising.)

Jim Winters, who handles sign sales for the Padres, refused comment on both Gotch and the Marlboro Man.

Jack Teele, director of administration for the San Diego Chargers, was a tad more candid.

“What do we do with a guy who’s purchased season tickets every year since 1961?” Teele asked. “What do we do if he says, ‘Why are you changing the rules on me?’ Are we open to a lawsuit by that guy? This is just one of many thoughts I’ve had in weighing this matter with Mr. (Alex) Spanos,” owner of the Chargers.

Teele said the stadium had been generous enough in providing no-smoking sections--two for Padres games, one for Chargers games.

“Mike may have painted us into a corner,” he said.

“Did he say that with or without the chain cigarette he usually smokes?” Gotch asked, adding that the Padres have not incurred lawsuits by banning the sale of alcohol after the seventh inning.

Gotch, a former city councilman, said he made the proposal “out of fear.” He said he has worked with the Lung Assn. of San Diego and other anti-smoking organizations and considers not just smoking cigarettes, but breathing in cigarette smoke secondarily, to be among the worst health hazards facing America. He championed the city’s no-smoking ordinance covering restaurants and offices, which took effect in 1982.

“People will still have the opportunity to smoke,” Gotch said, “they’ll just be asked to leave their seats. Now that we have TV monitors at all concession stands, they won’t be terribly inconvenienced. They can stand out there and smoke if absolutely necessary. They’re only being asked to leave momentarily.

“It’s important to me as custodians of the stadium, as public policy makers, that we be in the leadership position and ban smoking wherever possible,” Gotch said.

Noble but Problematic

Several Stadium Authority board members declined comment pending the committee meeting Aug. 19, but George Mitrovich, an eight-year member who left the board earlier this year, said Gotch’s proposal is noble but problematic.

“As far as I’m concerned, I would impose a total ban on smoking throughout the world,” Mitrovich said. “The main question it raises is: How do you police something like that? It might be reasonable to ask people to go outside to smoke, but the idea of people smoking in passageways is ridiculous. Those are congested areas, with people buying food and drinks. The only practical solution would be for people to go outside--to the outer ring of the stadium.

“Furthermore, what do you do about players sneaking a smoke in the tunnel (leading from the dugout to the dressing room) during a baseball game? What do you do about (Padres’ President) Chub Feeney and the cigars he smokes during a game? What do you do about (Padres’ field manager) Jack McKeon and the cigars he smokes? Do you also police the private boxes? The funny thing is, if this goes into effect, the saying ‘I’d walk a mile for a Camel’ may become true--literally.”

Stephen Shushan, the stadium’s business manager, said, “We’re kind of neutral on this,” and deferred all questions to individual tenants. By those he means the Padres, Chargers and the San Diego State University football team.

“This is a tough political question, and we have no idea what will happen,” Shushan said. “I wouldn’t even venture a guess.”