Big League Chew
Shredded bubble gum packaged in a foil tobacco-style pouch — dreamed up in the Portland Mavericks bullpen by pitcher Rob Nelson and launched in 1980 with backing from ex-Yankee Jim Bouton. A staple of 80s and 90s little-league dugouts where kids mimicked the professional players they idolized.
Big League Chew was invented by pitcher Rob Nelson in the Portland Mavericks bullpen with backing from Jim Bouton, the ex-Yankees pitcher, and launched in 1980 through Amurol Products (a Wrigley subsidiary). The genius of the product was its authenticity: it looked and came in a pouch like the actual chewing tobacco that major league players used, allowing kids to imitate their heroes without the nicotine.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Big League Chew became the unofficial chew of American Little League. Kids bought it with their allowance money specifically to look tough and grown-up during games and practice. The pink or purple shredded gum, packed in a small foil pouch with a baseball player on the label, was instantly recognizable. It remained continuously available and is still sold today, though perhaps with less of the cool factor now that actual tobacco use has fallen out of favor.
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