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<!--The online article Rob Nelson (baseball) is a different person.--> and bat boy and future Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Todd Field. 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.
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.
The cartoon-style packaging, originally designed by artist Bill Mayer, comes in colors such as neon green (sour apple) and bright purple (grape). The original shredded R&D concept samples of the product were produced by running standard sheets of bubble gum through an office paper shredder.
Todd Field, now an actor and director, was a batboy with the Portland Mavericks and inspired Nelson with the idea for shredded gum..
In April 2023, Nelson announced that over a billion pouches of Big League Chew had been sold worldwide.
Big League Chew is the official bubble gum of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2023, Big League Chew announced an additional partnership with USA Baseball.
Big League Chew’s corporate office is located in Rochester, NY
See also
- Candy cigarette