The NCAA college basketball tournaments, known as “March Madness,” are getting underway, bringing excitement and tourism, and packed arenas. As the elite men’s and women’s teams compete for championship glory, will players, students, and fans be able to breathe smokefree air, both in the arenas and host cities? ANR Foundation’s U.S. Tobacco Control Laws Database© provides the answers!

Smokefree or Not? A Look at Host Cities and Arenas

In the men’s tournament, how healthy are the host cities and arenas for the regional finals and championship?

  • Newark, NJ: Smokefree in workplaces, restaurants, and bars, thanks to local and statewide laws which also prohibit vaping in smokefree spaces. The arena prohibits smoking and vaping tobacco and marijuana. New Jersey’s casinos in Atlantic City unfortunately still permit indoor smoking, where many sports fans may gather to watch the games and where workers and visitors are exposed to secondhand smoke.
  • San Francisco, CA: Smokefree and vape-free for both tobacco and marijuana in workplaces, restaurants, bars, and gaming facilities, and the arena prohibits smoking and vaping indoors.
  • Atlanta, GA: Smokefree in workplaces, restaurants, and bars thanks to a strong local law, including vaping, and the arena prohibits smoking and vaping indoors.
  • Indianapolis, IN: Smokefree in workplaces, restaurants, and bars thanks to a strong local law, including vaping, and the arena prohibits smoking and vaping indoors.
  • San Antonio, TX: The host city for the championship is Smokefree in workplaces, restaurants, bars, and gaming facilities thanks to a strong local law, and the stadium prohibits smoking, vaping, and tobacco use.

In the women’s tournament, how healthy are the host cities and arenas for the regional finals and championship?

  • Birmingham, AL: Smokefree in workplaces, restaurants, bars, and gaming facilities thanks to a strong local law, and the arena prohibits both smoking and vaping indoors.
  • Spokane, WA: Smokefree in workplaces, restaurants, bars, gaming facilities, and the arena, for both tobacco and marijuana.
  • Tampa, FL: The host city for the championship has work to do to better protect people from secondhand smoke. Tampa is smokefree in workplaces, restaurants, and gaming facilities, but smoking and vaping is still allowed in bars in Florida, and unfortunately state law does not give cities the authority to pass their own stronger local smokefree laws. At the arena, smoking and vaping is not permitted generally, but the arena does have a cigar bar that allows smoking, so secondhand smoke is present in this facility. See information about cigar smoke here.

Tobacco Industry Tactics: Using College Sports & Bars to Promote Smoking

While many college campuses, college towns, and stadiums have made progress toward smokefree and tobacco-free environments, it’s important to recognize that the tobacco industry has long worked to keep smoking socially acceptable in these settings especially in college towns—because they know that younger social smokers are more likely to become addicted adult smokers when smoking is a normalized part of nightlife and social gatherings. These hospitality venues can also be workplaces for many college students.

Tobacco and Sports Culture: The tobacco industry has also worked to align itself with college athletics, such as scenes of cigar smoking in victory locker rooms broadcast on TV, reinforcing the image of smoking as part of sports and culture.

Sports Fans & Visitors Can Speak Up for Smokefree Air

Major sporting events like the NCAA tournaments have tremendous economic impact on the host cities with tourism dollars, and sports fans should use their voices and dollars to thank smokefree cities and encourage places with gaps to do better to provide a healthier environment for athletes, fans, and workers. Visitors can weigh in with support for smokefree venues and smokefree cities, such as filling out customer comment cards at stadiums and hotels and making comments on tourism sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor.

Beyond the tournament, healthy campus environments are also important considerations. Whether or not your favorite team or alma mater is competing in this year’s tournament, find out if your campus is smokefree by looking at ANRF’s list of Smokefree and Tobacco-Free U.S. and Tribal Colleges and Universities.

If your campus isn’t smokefree or tobacco-free, consider contacting your campus to encourage them to adopt a smokefree and tobacco-free campus policy, and if they have a strong policy, thank them for taking action for a healthier campus environment!

Women’s March Tournament

  • Birmingham Regional March 28-31
    • Legacy Arena (Birmingham, Alabama)
  • Spokane Regional  March 28-31
    • Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane, Washington)
  • Semifinals and Championship April 4, April 6
    • Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida)

Men’s March Tournament

  • Regional Finals March 29
    • East: Prudential Center, Newark
    • West: Chase Center, San Francisco
  • Regional Finals March 30
    • South: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
    • Midwest: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
  • National Semifinals and National Championship: April 5, 7
    • Alamodome, San Antonio