SWAT - Students Working Against Tobacco

events

In February 2007, Oklahoma Students Working Against Tobacco led an effort to strongly urge Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) to end its national-level sponsorship relationship with the US Smokeless Tobacco Company (USSTC). On February 15-18, 2007, PBR hosted the US Smokeless Tobacco Challenger Tour Championship event in Oklahoma City, offering a prize purse of $1 million. Prior to the event, SWAT members wrote a letter directly to PBR leadership, requesting the opportunity to meet with them in person to express their concerns about USSTC’s strategy to ride on the good image of PBR and the PBR athletes, to sell their deadly and addictive products. Additionally, members hosted a youth-led spokesperson training, they ran a print advertisement in local newspapers, issued press releases across the state, and collaborated with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids on a grassroots e-letter campaign. During that weekend, SWAT also held the Teen Summit III: Spit Out Big Tobacco, which had been planned before members were aware of the USSTC Challenger Tour Championship. Participants spent part of their time at the training in preparation of the protest. On Saturday, February 17, SWAT led 400 youth and adults from nearly 30 counties in a protest demonstration outside Ford Center in downtown Oklahoma City, asking PBR to end its national sponsorship relationship with USSTC. SWAT's efforts were supported by "Cowboy Ted" Hallisey and the Regional Tobacco-Free Rodeo Project.

Below are materials and information related to this effort.