Big League Chew is an American brand of shredded bubble gum made to resemble a chewing tobacco pouch. It was created by Portland Mavericks left-handed pitcher Rob Nelson and bat boy and future Academy Award-winning filmmaker Todd Field.[1] It was then pitched to the Wrigley Company (longtime owners of the Chicago Cubs) by fellow Maverick and former New York Yankee All-Star Jim Bouton as a healthy alternative to the tobacco-chewing habit common among ballplayers in the 1970s. Big League Chew was introduced in May 1980, in the traditional pink color already seen in established brands of bubble gum. Currently, it is manufactured in the U.S. by Ford Gum & Machine Company in Akron, New York, under a license from Rob Nelson’s company, Big League Chew Properties.[2]
Big League Chew proved controversial due to its association with chewing tobacco. Research has linked children's consumption of candy versions of tobacco products to an increased tendency to take up their real-life equivalents.[3]