Uncovering The Northwest Roots Of Baseball’s Favorite Snack

Did you know that the story behind an iconic baseball snack has some Northwest Roots?

Spring is here and so is baseball season! The air is filled with the sites, sounds and flavors  of the game. For a long time, bubble gum has been associated with the game from the big to little leagues.

Perhaps the most iconic bubble gum brand in baseball is Big League Chew. The shredded gum in a package that resembles chewing tobacco was the creation of a ball player that played in the Northwest.

Big League Chew's Northwest Origins

The popular gum was invented by former Cornell University pitcher, Rob Nelson in 1977 in the bullpen of Civic Stadium, home of the famed Portland Mavericks. With help from two fellow teammates, a teenage batboy, Todd Field and former New York Yankee All-Star Jim Bouton, Nelson created the iconic creation that became Big League Chew which featured shredded gum un a stay fresh pouch.

As legend has it,  the very first batch was made by hand at Field's house on Babe Ruth’s Birthday  (Feb. 6th) in 1979. Big League Chew hit retail shelves less than a year later, and instantly became a fave across America.

40 Years Later and Still Going Strong

Over 40 years  and one billion pouches made, Big League Chew remains a classic to both kids and adults. The company claims that their product  is the only shredded bubble gum in the world, and can even be found in Cooperstown as the "Hall of Fame Bubble Gum.”