Buzz
Sunflower seeds, or more accurately, achenes (as botanists would explain), are consumed across the globe in various ways. In the U.S., they’re often seen as a substitute for chewing tobacco, especially among baseball players and others who enjoy spitting. From Little League to the big leagues, it’s uncommon to see a pitch without someone spitting out a shell. But when did sunflower seeds become a staple at the ballgame?
Hall of Famers Enos Slaughter and Stan Musial were known for chewing sunflower seeds in the 1950s. However, it wasn’t until 1968, when Reggie Jackson, another baseball legend, started indulging in them, that they began to gain widespread popularity.
Whether it was due to Reggie’s on-field success, the spotlight he got for his sunflower seed habit, a growing awareness of tobacco’s dangers, or just the simple pleasure of cracking open the salty shell to enjoy the nutritious seed, players began following his lead. This didn’t sit well with Major League grounds crews, though, who struggled with cleaning up the discarded shells. By 1980, St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Claude Osteen had dubbed it 'the era of birdseed.'
While the term 'era of birdseed' never quite stuck, sunflower seeds are still a staple of the game. Just ask anyone who’s had to clean up a dugout floor.
[Further Reading: "The Seeds of Content," Sports Illustrated, 10/6/1980]
