Developing a Comprehensive Tobacco-Free Policy at PETCO Park,

a New Major League Ballpark

In April 2004, San Diego’s major league baseball team, the San Diego Padres, opened its season at PETCO Park—a brand new baseball-only facility with a 44,000 person seating bowl and a large lawn area called ‘Park at the Park’ (shown at the top of the diagram). Located behind center field, Park at the Park offers families the chance to picnic and watch the game on a huge video screen – all for $5 a ticket. Advocates felt that, for the health and well-being of children, it was absolutely essential that Park at the Park be designated a tobacco-free zone.

Just weeks before the ballpark’s grand opening, the American Lung Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties (ALA) and allied agencies persuaded San Diego Padres management to implement a comprehensive tobacco-free policy. The policy made Park at the Park completely tobacco-free, banned spit tobacco throughout the ballpark (except for the playing field), and limited smoking to five designated smoking areas at the outside railings of the seating bowl. The policy also included provisions that tobacco products would not be sold on the premises nor would the ballpark house a cigar bar.

Since 1994, the ALA has hosted the Tobacco Free Communities Coalition (TFCC), comprised of representatives from about 25 health- and youth-serving community agencies. With funding from the local health department, ALA and its TFCC members (most of whom were also members of the county health department’s Tobacco Control Coalition) formed the PETCO Park Task Force. ALA also hired a consultant with a marketing background to work with Padres’ management and the Task Force to develop a comprehensive tobacco-free policy for the new facility.

Prior to making PETCO Park its home, the San Diego Padres played at Qualcomm Stadium, where it shared the facility with professional and college football teams. Qualcomm’s smoking policy had evolved over the years. Its Stadium Authority Board first eliminated smoking in the seating areas. Later, the concourse directly surrounding the seats became a smoke-free area, restricting smoking to the outer vendor concourse where souvenirs and food were sold. It was the ALA’s goal to restrict smoking even further at the new baseball facility. In fact, the PETCO Park Task Force approached the San Diego Padres management and requested that the new PETCO Park facility become a completely tobacco-free venue.

Health Agency Roles and Skills

The County of San Diego Department of Health and Human Services, Tobacco Control Resource Program has been funded since 1989 by a grant from the California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section (commonly referred to as Prop 99 funding). In turn, the local health department distributes most of its Prop 99 funds to community agencies via a competitive grant process, to implement local tobacco control projects. In January 2004, about three months prior to the start of the regular baseball season, ALA was awarded funds to work with PETCO Park management to adopt, implement and monitor a comprehensive tobacco-free policy.

The firestorm of controversy surrounding the overall construction of PETCO Park could have resulted in controversy for the local health department if it had taken the lead in pursuing a tobacco-free policy. ALA leadership insulated the department from any political backlash or negative publicity that could have occurred

At the state level, the California Tobacco Control Section supports a clearinghouse that maintains a database of educational materials developed by other tobacco control grantees throughout the state. An on-line information exchange for staff of current state grants is also available. The ALA Marketing Consultant utilized all of these resources to research and prepare a sample tobacco-free policy for ballpark management.

Partnerships and Support

The PETCO Park Task Force was comprised of ten TFCC members from health- and youth-serving agencies. At the nexus of this group were representatives from the well-known and well-respected local chapters of the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. Policy advocacy colleagues working to control alcohol use at PETCO Park also joined the Task Force and were most helpful in providing names and phone numbers of key contacts in the Padres organization.

The Task Force quickly agreed that PETCO Park should open as a completely tobacco-free venue and brainstormed ideas for the best possible strategy to accomplish this goal. The task force met for the first time just 76 days before Opening Day 2004; the group met twice in February and again in May 2004. The Marketing Consultant provided regular updates to Task Force members via e-mail.

The Marketing Consultant had intended to gather endorsements from key community leaders for a strict tobacco-free policy; however, due to the limited time available to establish the new policy, this step was abandoned. It should be noted that San Diegans are on record as being very supportive of smoke-free public places; numerous public opinion polls can attest to this. San Diego County’s Solana Beach, created the first smoke-free beach in the state in 2003 and a number of cities mandated smoke-free restaurants long before the state law was enacted in 1994.

Key Events

October 2003 At a bi-monthly meeting, tobacco control coalition members discuss the need to work with the San Diego Padres to establish an effective smoking policy when the long-awaited PETCO Park opens its doors in April 2004

December 2003 County health department announces intent to award subcontract to work on the ballpark tobacco policy, but a conflict of interest halts an award to the initial recipient

January 5, 2004 ALA is awarded subcontract to develop tobacco policy at the San Diego Padres new baseball facility, PETCO Park

January 15 ALA hires Marketing Consultant to organize campaign to help the San Diego Padres develop a comprehensive tobacco policy

Marketing Consultant invites Tobacco Free Communities Coalition members to join the Tobacco-Free PETCO Park Task Force via e-mail

January 20 Marketing Consultant researches tobacco policies at the other national league ballparks around the nation as well as major league ball clubs in California; learns that San Diego has one of the weakest policies in the league

Marketing Consultant researches staff responsibilities within the Padres organization to identify policy decision makers; pinpoints three positions—Vice President and Managing Director, Director of Event Services, and Director of Community Relations

January 23 PETCO Park Task Force meets for the first time

January 27 ALA Executive Director sends letter to the Executive Vice President & Managing Director of the San Diego Padres, outlining the request for and benefits of a comprehensive tobacco policy

January 30 Marketing Consultant, Task Force representative and ALA representative meet with Padres management to tour the ballpark and view the 11 proposed smoking areas.

Group distributes an educational packet with information about secondhand smoke, asthma, health consequences for employees subjected to tobacco, policies from other major league baseball parks, and a sample comprehensive tobacco control policy

February 3 Marketing Consultant provides detailed written feedback along with photos to the San Diego Padres regarding their draft policy

February 10 PETCO Park decides to prohibit the use of spit tobacco and to not have a cigar bar (a popular feature in other ballparks)

March 26 Marketing Consultant meets with Evaluation Consultant to develop evaluation plan to measure impact of policy under development as well as fan support

March 30 PETCO Park decides to prohibit the use of all tobacco products at Park at the Park (a grassy picnic and play area intended for use by families with young children)

April 6 San Diego Padres and ALA issue a joint press release announcing PETCO Park’s tobacco policy, including five designated smoking areas in the seating bowl

ALA staff conducts interviews with reporters from five television stations, two radio stations, and a print publication:

· April 7: KSWB (10 pm), KFMB-TV (noon, 5 pm), KGTV (5 pm)

· April 8: KGTV (5 am), KUSI (6 am), XETV (7 am), KNSD (4:30 pm)

· April 22: Pomerado newspaper group

April 23 ALA encourages the State of California Office of the Attorney General to acknowledge the Padres for creating the most stringent tobacco policy among all of the California teams; AG’s office sends congratulatory letter

April-June San Diego Padres employees begin distributing business size cards labeled “Smoking Areas for Guests” that indicate the five designated smoking areas on the main, terrace and upper concourses

Task Force members attend three ballgames to observe fans smoking behavior and to interview ballpark staff regarding support for a completely tobacco-free policy in the future

June 5 Marketing Consultant staffs an information booth at the Park at the Park Kids Safety Fair to celebrate the smoke-free park; Padres radio station, the Mighty 1090 AM, hosts the event

June 6 Marketing Consultant provides verbal feedback via telephone to the San Diego Padres Vice President and Managing Director on observation results and fan surveys

October San Diego Padres Vice President calls ALA about changes to tobacco-free policy

April 12, 2005 San Diego Padres website posts news story, “PETCO Park patrons reminded of new and existing ball park policies”; policy lists just three designated smoking areas, rather than the five originally listed

May 5 Coalition members conduct follow-up observations to document compliance with the revised policy; observers noted very limited exposure to secondhand smoke

Resources

A $100,000 grant from the County of San Diego, Tobacco Control Resource Program supported this and other policy efforts. Funds were used to (a) hire a Marketing Consultant to organize and implement the policy campaign, (b) pay costs for PETCO Park Task Force, (c) reimburse volunteers for expenses incurred in surveying fans and observing the ballpark regarding support for tobacco-free policies, (d) purchase nominal incentives (e.g., knit caps, rubber baseballs) for those that participated in the public intercept surveys, (e) pay an evaluator to analyze and report on the survey and observational data, (f) support media advocacy efforts, including a paid advertising campaign, and (g) support administrative expenses. A $2,000 grant was also secured from the World No Tobacco Day Coalition to support our participation in the radio station’s Kids Safety Fair at the Park at the Park.

Although volunteer observers, many of them coalition members or their friends, were provided tickets to the games and some cash to pay for refreshments, their time was not reimbursed. It should be noted that we had no shortage of volunteers; many were eager to see the new ballpark in person.

Outcomes

Through a series of communications and meetings, PETCO Park management was persuaded to reduce the number of planned smoking areas from 11 to five, just days before the park’s grand opening. The smoking policy adopted by the San Diego Padres for the new ballpark in April 2004 included five designated smoking areas distributed among the seating bowl’s three levels.

Evaluation of the PETCO Park policy aimed to document compliance with the use of these five areas as well as employees’ and fans’ attitudes about the smoking policy. The evaluation had three components: (1) interviews with employees, (2) observations of guests’ smoking behavior, and (3) intercept surveys with ballpark visitors to measure support for the new policy.

Observations and surveys were conducted on three evenings (a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday); all of the dates selected were promotional giveaway events ensuring large crowds. On April 17^th and May 12^th, 2004, 35 trained volunteers attended two Padres games and interviewed 105 employees about the facility’s smoking areas and policy including vendors, ushers, security workers, ticket takers, ambassadors, and maintenance workers. In between interviews, volunteers roamed all three levels of the ballpark to observe fans’ smoking behavior and use of the designated smoking areas. Observations were conducted between innings 3/4 and 5/6 and during the 7^th inning stretch.

On May 12^th and June 4^th, 2004, 27 trained volunteers surveyed baseball fans heading into PETCO Park for a game using a one page, 14-item survey that asked ballpark visitors about secondhand smoke, smoking areas, game attendance and personal demographic information. Volunteers collected 210 surveys; respondents received free knit caps in exchange for completing a written survey.

(1) Interviews with Park employees

Based on our interviews, it appeared that PETCO Park employee training included information on the location of the designated smoking areas, and that there was a learning curve underway. In May 2004, 85% of employees knew if smoking was allowed in the areas in question; this rate was up from 77% in April. However, a number of park employees incorrectly indicated that smoking was allowed “anywhere by the railing.” The majority (84%) of employees were able to correctly point volunteers to the nearest smoking area.

To test employees’ willingness to enforce the smoking policy, 15 volunteers registered 23 complaints to ushers about smoking during the game. Responses to complaints were about evenly divided as such: 35% of the time ushers re-directed smokers to designated smoking areas, another 35% insisted that smoking was allowed in the area (although it usually was not), and 30% of the time ushers did nothing. These results indicated that although ushers were aware that the park has five designated smoking areas, all ushers were not actively enforcing the smoking policy.

(2) Observations of guests’ smoking behavior

During the April 17 game, volunteers spot-checked 20 sections of the ballpark including the Park-in-the-Park and concourse areas. They found an average of 43 smokers per designated smoking area. An average of 29 smokers occupied non-smoking areas. During the May 12^th observations of the entire ballpark, volunteers found that the average number of smokers per designated smoking area was 50 while the number of smokers per non-smoking area was 13. These data indicated that in May more smoking guests were using designated areas than were doing so in April. At the May game, two places not designated as smoking areas were heavily used by smokers—the Park-in-the-Park concourse (cement walkway surrounding the grassy area) and Sections 301-313 (Upper Level, first base side).

(3) Ballpark visitors intercept surveys

Volunteers surveyed 210 fans before they entered the ballpark. Here is a demographic profile of survey respondents: 89% of respondents lived in San Diego County; 72% were male; 58% were males between the ages of 18-44 years; 38% lived in a home with children under the age of 18; 29% had someone living in their home with lung problems (e.g., asthma, allergies); 12% smoked daily, 13% smoked sometimes, 75% were not smokers; and 33% were 2004 Padres season ticket holders while 53% had attended fewer than six Padres games last season.

Support for the designated smoking areas improved over time. With regards to fans’ awareness of PETCO Park’s designated smoking areas, by June 4^th two-thirds of daily smokers knew where the smoking sections were located; this was up from 53% on May 12^th. Almost half (44%) of smokers thought that there were too few smoking areas and 22% thought that they were inconvenient.

Most fans were in support of a smoke-free PETCO Park. Overall, 70% were in favor of a completely smoke-free PETCO Park; 75% season ticket holders favored a smoke-free ballpark. While attending games at PETCO Park, 18% had been bothered by secondhand smoke. Interestingly, San Diego County residents and visitors, males and females, and people from household with and without children equally favored a smoke-free ballpark. Support was highest among 35-44 year olds (81%) and lowest among 18-34 year olds (64%). Non-smokers were most supportive of a smoke-free ballpark (87%), followed by former smokers (76%) and infrequent smokers (58%); only 8% of daily smokers were supportive of a smoke-free ballpark.

Feedback Provided to PETCO Park Management

After the observations, we concluded that perhaps the most important action that the San Diego Padres organization could take to encourage compliance with the new smoking policy would be to communicate the policy to fans. During the first employee survey, about one-third of employees recommended that ballpark management post signs indicating where smoking was/was not allowed; however, the ballpark had very little signage overall. Experience with enforcement of tobacco control laws tells us that signage helps to make smoking policies self-enforcing. Observers noted that the free game schedules distributed to all fans did not indicate the smoking areas; the paid program guide did not correctly list the designated smoking areas; and no announcements about the smoking policy were broadcast on the PA system or displayed on the electronic scoreboard before or during games.

One-Year Follow Up

Coalition members conducted a follow up observation on May 5, 2005 (a Sunday afternoon game with an attendance of 35,000). During this observation, three observers conducted single sweeps of the main, terrace and upper levels of the ballpark, and the Park at the Park. In two instances, smokers were observed asking ushers where to go to smoke. No employees were observed redirecting smokers to the proper designated areas. It appeared that all in all, fans roaming the ballpark areas were exposed to very little secondhand smoke during the game.

That is not to say that fans limited their smoking to the ballpark’s three designated smoking areas (Gaslamp and Park Blvd gate areas and outside of section 310 on the upper level). The upper level smoking area (outside of section 310) was clearly marked with large blue and white signs. (This same style of signage appears throughout the ballpark.) The two gate areas were not marked as smoking areas.

During the observations, smokers for the most part restricted their smoking to the rail areas of the ballpark. These areas ring the very outside perimeter of the vendor concourse adjacent to the seats. The majority of smokers tended to stand at rail areas tucked between buildings. Fewer congregated in the more open rail areas. Only one person was observed smoking while walking through the vendor concourse and another while walking on the ramp that runs between ballpark levels. Otherwise, all the smoking was observed at the outer railways or gate areas.

There was no smoking observed at the very crowded Park at the Park or along its adjacent walkway. An outdoor dining patio called La Cantina had a small sign on the wall that stated “No Smoking, No Fumar.” Indeed, we did not see anybody smoking here during the observation. No other “No Smoking” signs were found.

Obstacles

Perhaps, the single biggest challenge in not accomplishing our goal of having a 100% tobacco-free facility was time. The actual effort to adopt a policy began about two months before the Opening Day of baseball’s regular season. To get an even stronger policy in place, it would have been necessary to begin working on the project at least a year in advance. We were fortunate that the Padres were willing to discuss changing their planned policy at such a late date.

We had hoped that the Padres would be willing to prohibit all use of spit tobacco at the facility. However, the major league baseball players union specifies in players’ contracts that use of spit tobacco is allowed; thus the policy only prohibited fans’ use.

Lessons Learned

A number of “lessons learned” were identified during this policy development process. First, find a person with a strong background in marketing to lead the project. A background in baseball is not required. Then identify the people in the baseball organization with the authority to make decisions about the ballpark’s tobacco policy. The Marketing Consultant did quite a bit of research to identify staff within the Padres organization qualified to make policy decisions. Key management members included the Executive Vice President & Managing Director, and the Padres Director of Community Relations.

Interestingly, during this investigative process we learned that the owner of the ball club despised smoking and refrained from hiring smokers, but the ballpark’s tobacco use policy was not his decision to make.

It was important to broach the subject of a tobacco-free facility with ballpark management from a business perspective. Too often, health advocates approach businesses with the idea that having a tobacco free policy is “the right thing to do,” and then get angry when business people don’t see it that way. Our Marketing Consultant put it this way: “What is the Padres value in a tobacco-free ballpark?” “How can a tobacco-free ballpark help the Padres make money?” “What is the Padres goal in terms of keeping ballpark visitors satisfied?” It then followed that one of our arguments in favor of a tobacco-free ballpark was the maintenance costs related to smoking, namely litter clean up and repair. Another argument encouraged Padres management to focus on making the majority of (non-smoking) fans happy. Indeed, our intercept surveys indicated that fans, especially season ticket holders and frequent visitors, favored a smoke-free venue.

Another key was the decision to research existing smoking policies from other ballparks. The policy from the Padres previous facility, Qualcomm Stadium, ranked well below other major league baseball venues. We classified it as woefully inadequate and framed the tobacco-free policy as the bandwagon to jump on fast, especially in California.

Interestingly, the identified decision makers in the Padres organization were all relatively new to the organization and were from out-of-state. Not having been residents of California for long, they were unaware how accustomed San Diegans were to smoke-free environments. Advocates then described in detail how all Californians enjoy smoke-free workplaces and bars, and some even enjoy smoke-free parks and beaches!

Another key to opening PETCO Park with only five designated areas instead of the original 11 that were planned, was the Marketing Consultant’s request to tour the facility to see the 11 locations. He took photos of the areas as well as the views from each spot. (The state-of-the-art facility overlooks the harbor, convention center, and downtown areas and has a number of breathtaking views.) In a lengthy written report complete with photos, the consultant pointed out that many, many non-smoking fans would be less likely to enjoy the glorious setting because they would have to stand amidst smokers to do so. In other cases, proposed smoking areas were upwind from concession stands where people standing in line for refreshments would be subjected to secondhand smoke. In still other instances, the proposed smoking areas were in violation of state law. This feedback proved to be instrumental in strengthening the no-smoking provision of the comprehensive tobacco policy.

Feedback regarding compliance observations also proved to be important. At first, ballpark employees were hesitant to redirect smokers to designated areas. Many employees initially did not know the actual smoking policy or were unwilling to enforce it. Our observation data indicated that over time, employees and fans increasingly complied with the smoking policy. It is important to note that it was best to monitor compliance during the later innings of a game, as smokers typically can wait an hour or two before needing another cigarette.

Modifications

During the baseball season and throughout the off-season, there were a number of new stories regarding the quality of the PETCO Park facility. Just before the opening of the second season, San Diego’s public radio station, KPBS-FM, hosted a one-hour call-in show with the Director of Operations who fielded callers’ complaints and praise. During the show he indicated that a number of changes had been made to the facility during the off-season to address the two most common complaints—food quality and view obstructions. It was not until the new policies were posted online on the San Diego Padres website (http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com) at the opening of the 2005 season that we learned number of designated smoking areas at the ballpark was down to three.

Additional Information

It was probably easier to adopt a strict, comprehensive policy at a new facility without one; PETCO Park was a new facility, and a fresh slate so to speak. For advocates working to establish stronger tobacco-free policies at existing facilities, a gradual approach might be necessary to ensure acceptance and compliance by visitors. A first step might be for ballpark management to let the public know that, after two seasons, it was planning to have a tobacco-free venue, and then begin restricting smoking in meaningful ways. It is our contention that signage plays a critical role in compliance. Smokers are in the habit of smoking in designated areas only, and avoiding areas posted with No Smoking signs. The Padres were hesitant to clutter the truly beautiful PETCO Park environs with a lot of signs. The signs currently displayed fit the ballpark’s color scheme and are very tastefully done.

At the opening of the 2005 season, the ALA congratulated PETCO Park management on its strong tobacco-free policy in a series of paid print ads. The ALA placed an ad in the San Diego Union-Tribune baseball supplement that appeared in the newspaper about a week before Opening Day. Ad space was also purchased in the Padres official programs sold to fans during games; the first ad praised the Padres and contained a cessation message for smokers and users of spit tobacco.

Because of the responsiveness of PETCO Park management, we contacted management at Qualcomm Stadium to discuss making improvements to its tobacco policy. We secured a meeting with the General Manager, made a presentation to the Stadium Board Authority, communicated with the stadium’s major tenants (San Diego State University Aztecs and the San Diego Chargers football teams), and conducted informal interviews with Board members to gauge their support for a smoke-free stadium. Early response was that Qualcomm intends to meet or beat the policy at PETCO Park.

Contact:

Name: Debra Kelley, CHES

Title: Vice-President, Government Relations

Organization: American Lung Association of San Diego & Imperial Counties

Address: 2750 Fourth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103

Phone: 619.683.7519

FAX: 619.297.8402

E-mail: Debbie@lungsandiego.org