Professional Baseball Players Have Been All About Snacking on Sunflower Seeds Since the 1950s

There are some things that go hand-in-hand with baseball, whether you are watching a professional game or one in the minor league. Hot dogs, frothy beers, and peanuts tend to make their way throughout the stands more often than not, but players themselves have always seemed to favor sunflower seeds.

So, why do baseball players always eat sunflower seeds? It might be a convenience thing, sort of like how popcorn became the go-to snack for movie theater patrons.

And, it turns out, there are a few solid reasons why baseball players at different levels have chewed on sunflower seeds and spit out shells plenty over the years.

According to the brand Smackin' Sunflower Seeds, baseball players welcome the ease of being able to snack in the dugout without using their hands. And, by popping some seeds in the mouth, players also avoid getting their hands salty before they are up to bat or before they head out into the outfield.

Apparently, baseball players also like to chew on crunchy sunflower seeds, sometimes with the shells on, depending on personal preference, to keep their mouths from drying out from dirt on the field.

USA Today reported that MLB players Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter might have started the trend in the 1950s when they chewed sunflower seeds out of boredom between when they were playing and when they were waiting to play.

Some players also chew seeds to calm their nerves, which makes sense.

Per the National Library of Medicine, chewing is proven to stress-reducing behavior. The science behind it is that it increases saliva production and reduces cortisol. Cortisol is a stress-inducing hormone, so any activity that can reduce the body's production of that hormone can help with stress or anxiety, which some baseball players may face while playing.

At some point, sunflower seeds became synonymous with baseball, and with players specifically. There are even times when fans see players throw seeds at their teammates, or use a handful of sunflower seeds tossed at each other in celebration. One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "The majesty of baseball is a close up shot of a man struggling to spit out a sunflower seed in the dugout." It's kind of poetic, in a way. At least, for MLB fans.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the MLB briefly banned sunflower seeds due to the need to spit while in the dugout or on the field. At the time, NPR reported that there would be no spitting of "saliva, sunflower seeds or peanut shells, or tobacco" from players. There was also an order of a shorter season than typical, and distancing measures for players.

But for those who are used to seeing baseball players chomping on sunflower seeds and spitting out shells, the rule against that was a big change from baseball tradition. Since then, players are back to eating sunflower seeds, but the brief ban was kind of a big deal for some.