When I played footy at school many moons ago, it was always drummed into me that you should never chew gum during a game, it was banned as a health hazard and potentially fatal if it got stuck in your throat. Nowadays it seems every other player is chewing the cud during games, surely it must still be a hazard? This appears to me to be a recent habit, unless it's been going on for years and being old and decrepit I've just never noticed.
