The Winston Cup was a premier NASCAR race, sponsored by Winston cigarettes. "You've come a long way, baby" was the cheeky slogan that Virginia Slims put forward for their ladies tennis tournament, allowing the cigarette company to position themselves as feminists, but really they were selling lung cancer to new audiences.
Coincidentally, tennis star Billie Jean King (along with her partner Ilana Kloss) is a part-owner of the LA Dodgers. The ownership of the Dodgers has not responded to our outreach to discuss how the Dodgers can continue to give social cover to the industry that threatens to destroy human civilization.
Tonight, we hosted a panel of acclaimed experts focused on this question. Given the long to-do-list in our fight against climate change, why focus on the advertising deals between fossil fuels and sports?
The answer, according to Harvard professor and author Naomi Oreskes, is that companies know how powerful it is to cloak themselves in our beloved, everyday, normalized past times. Brands like the Dodgers are important parts of our society. As renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben noted, they not only owe us the duty of not making things worse, they should be proactively helping by using renewable energy, promoting clean solutions, and ceasing to give cover to the fossil fuel industry. This is part of our approach with Dodger Fans Against Fossil Fuels (DF3): we are urging the beloved, world renowned team to show environmental leadership that could set an inspiring example far and wide.
How did the tobacco industry lose its grip as an upstanding brand in our society? Through legislation, like the bill that Rep. Christopher Rabb (D-PA) has put forward in Pennsylvania, and through lawsuits using those laws to press cases. While our country is deeply committed to free speech, those statues clearly do not protect fraud, libel, and the instance of clear and present danger. So should there be laws that limit the advertising that fossil fuels can do? Absolutely. Should fossil fuel advertisements disclose the negative effects of their products–like pharmaceutical ads must do? Absolutely. Should revered brands like the Dodgers take the brave step of changing with the changing climate? You bet.
This webinar, moderated by award-winning LA Times columnist Sammy Roth, is packed with insights, historical perspective and humor! These are wonderful personalities we hope you get to know.
Join Dodgers Fans Against Fossil Fuels (DF3) to get involved and help change the game on fossil fuels in sports. Our next protest will be at the Dodgers’ first home game, on Thursday, March 27th. We will meet pre-game at at 3 p.m. outside Dodgers Stadium on the SE corner of Stadium Way and Vin Scully Avenue. Recommended parking: Lot 13 south of entrance on Stadium Way. All are welcome. RSVP here.
And if you haven’t yet signed our petition, please do!: moveon.org/dodgers
