The move by the public health groups is the latest in a push to get tobacco out of sports.
The Camacho Cigars sponsorship includes a large presence at several game-day events for the maker of Camacho and Baccarat The Game cigars, including lounges where fans can light up. The agreement is for the 2012-2014 Orange Bowl games and the 2013 BCS National Championship.
This year’s game in South Florida will be played Jan. 4 between Clemson and West Virginia.
“The association of cigar smoking with one of the nation’s top collegiate sporting events sends the wrong message to impressionable young fans and helps market cigars as athletic, masculine and cool,” the groups wrote in the letter. “Linking tobacco use to sports also downplays the serious health risks of tobacco products.”
In the letter, the groups say cigars are just as dangerous as any other tobacco use, which is responsible for about 443,000 deaths a year in the U.S. In some cases, the groups say cigars have higher toxins, tar and cancer-causing chemicals. They also say the cigar company sponsorship conflicts with NCAA rules that forbid student-athletes and all game personnel from using tobacco in any form at practice or in competitions.
Representatives for the
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