No Smoking Please - Big Tobacco's Long Exit From Motorsports

It wasn't long ago that race fans couldn't watchAgreement in the US changed all that. Not only did the
motorsports without seeing overt sponsorships bycigarette companies agree to pay $368.5 billion over
major cigarette brands. There was the Winston Cup,25 years to 47 states, but sponsorships were also put
NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series and teams namesto an end so as to discourage recruitment of new
like the Kool Green Team and Skoal Bandit Team.smokers to replace others who die or otherwise quit.
While it seemed at the time that tobacco companiesThe European Union, in its 2003 Tobacco Advertising
could have easily bought out an entire track of raceDirective, also threw down the gauntlet. Big Tobacco
cars if they so desired, the good times for big tobaccocould no longer advertise and sponsor "with the aim or
in motorsports soon came to an end, just like all otherdirect or indirect effect of promoting a tobacco
successful advertising initiatives by the industry. As theproduct". Today, 168 countries have embraced the
dislike of the tobacco industry intensified and theWorld Health Organization Framework Convention on
people increasingly called for action, the rules ofTobacco Control which in effect does the same thing.
advertising began to change to favor public opinion.Although with grace periods over and laws against
Despite a federal ban on tobacco advertising on TVthem fully in effect, cigarette companies have of
from the early '70s, sponsorship of motorsports hadcourse still managed to find ways to get their
allowed cigarette companies to effectively achieve themessage across through motorsports. The recent
equivalent of paid TV advertising and in a timeslot2010 Marlboro-Ferrari barcode kerfuffle is one such
when viewers were most vulnerable - while enjoyinginstance.
their favorite past time. The 1998 Master Settlement