News Article
Tobacco and baseball have a long, shared history. Is Zyn the latest chapter?
As baseball season gets underway this year, more than half of Major League Baseball’s 30 stadiums are tobacco-free as a result of state and local laws. Yet amid this progress, new oral nicotine pouches such as Zyn are gaining ground among athletes – replacing smokeless tobacco products (like chew, dip, and snus) that players have used historically.
Oral nicotine pouches from brands like Zyn, Rouge, On!, and Velo have exploded in popularity nationwide, with the total monthly nicotine pouch sales increasing by 207% between January 2023 and April 2025, from $145.5 million to $446.8 million. They are currently the fastest growing category of nicotine product.
Research from Truth Initiative also finds that oral nicotine pouches are now taking over more of the nicotine market, even as disposable e-cigarette sales continue to grow.
Oral nicotine pouches are flavored and can be used extremely discreetly, which may make them appealing to teens and young adults. Extensive youth-appealing promotion of oral nicotine pouches on social media and a growing online subculture surrounding Zyn also raises concerns about youth exposure to these products – and harkens back to e-cigarette manufacturers like JUUL who relied on word-of-mouth, influencer-led marketing to recruit young customers. As oral nicotine products continue to rise in popularity and grab media attention, more research is needed to understand their health implications and potential role in youth nicotine addiction.
What are oral nicotine pouches?
ZYN Nicotine Pouches
Sometimes referred to as a "lip pillow" or "upper decky" because of where they are placed under the upper lip, oral nicotine pouches are small pouches containing nicotine and flavors. They are used similarly to snus — a small pouch of shredded tobacco leaf — but unlike snus, they contain synthetic nicotine instead of tobacco leaf. For this reason, oral nicotine pouches are not classified as smokeless tobacco products, and therefore are not subject to the same restrictions on their manufacturing or marketing. Oral nicotine products still contain nicotine, which is addictive and harmful to developing brains.
Players turn to oral nicotine products amid restrictions
Zyn and Baseball
Smokeless tobacco products, such as dip and chewing tobacco, have been popular among baseball players for decades. But starting in 2016, the MLB prohibited new players from using any smokeless tobacco product. Many players supported the ban, especially after the deaths of player Bill Tuttle and coach Tony Gwynn from oral cancer raised awareness about the dangers of using smokeless tobacco.
Still, some players have switched to oral nicotine products such as Zyn, which are not classified as smokeless tobacco and therefore aren’t subject to the restrictions.
Why is smokeless tobacco use common among baseball players?
Many early baseball players smoked cigarettes off the field but used chewing tobacco while playing. Players soon discovered that chewing tobacco had baseball-specific benefits: It kept the mouth moist with saliva despite the dusty environment, and pitchers used the juice from chewing tobacco to create the notorious spitball, a pitching tactic banned in 1920 in which a pitcher applies saliva to the baseball.
Chewing tobacco eventually faded in popularity among the American public but remained popular on the baseball field, and to this day, smokeless tobacco products — mostly dip and snus — are still associated with the game.
Action is needed to spread awareness and protect young people from nicotine addiction
Health effects of Zyn
As oral nicotine pouches rise in popularity, concerns have been raised that manufacturers are using marketing tactics that mimic those used by e-cigarette companies to attract young people. According to a study in Tobacco Control, advertisements for nicotine pouches often highlight flavors, emphasize the “freedom” of using nicotine pouches, and suggest that they are less harmful than traditional tobacco products – themes that may appeal to youth and young adults.
The top nicotine pouch brands spent nearly $25 million on advertising between 2019 and 2021, with 34.7% of ads placed across entertainment and media outlets, and 9.5% in sports media. Placing ads for nicotine pouches in entertainment and sports channels, like Barstool Sports, “may raise concerns that the nicotine pouch marketing may parallel the traditional tobacco products’ tactics to target vulnerable young population groups,” the authors write.
Regulation is needed to prevent nicotine pouch manufacturers from following the same playbook that cigarette and e-cigarette makers have used to attract young people. As these products gain popularity, special attention should be paid to youth uptake and the potential role that nicotine pouches may play in youth nicotine addiction.
Can oral nicotine pouches help people quit smoking and vaping?
Quitting Zyn
Nicotine pouches can contain high concentrations of nicotine, which can put users at risk of nicotine addiction and can make quitting more challenging. Nicotine addiction is especially harmful for developing brains, and its use during adolescence can disrupt the formation of brain circuits that control attention, learning, and susceptibility to addiction.
For people looking to quit smoking, vaping, or using oral nicotine pouches like Zyn, there are resources to help.
Quitting nicotine pouches with EX Program
EX Program by Truth Initiative, a free digital quitting program developed with Mayo Clinic, is the longest running online community where current and former tobacco users gather to support each other. EX Program has tailored content for pouch users, informed by an increasing number of users who say they are looking to quit Zyn and other oral nicotine pouches. EX Program has helped millions of people on their journey to quit and can increase the odds of quitting by up to 40%.
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