NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Month Campaign

NFL Players Accent Their Uniforms With Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Posted by: Catherine Strawn Filed in: news
1:20PM, Monday October 5th 2009

Yesterday, while watching football, I made a snarky comment about an announcer’s flamboyant shirt-tie combination only to learn he was wearing the baby pink striped tie in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Really?

I was completely floored when I found out the entire NFL is very involved in raising awareness for a disease that rarely affects men. The league even has a campaign, “The Crucial Catch,” advocating annual screenings, especially for women over 40. Throughout October, players, coaches, and referees can choose to wear pink game apparel—from shoes and sweatbands to mouth guards and chin straps—which will be auctioned off, with the money going to the American Cancer Society and team charities. Plus, all players’ helmets have been outfitted with a pink ribbon decal, and fields have been painted with pink ribbon stencils.

Critics say the money spent to manufacture these pink products would have been better spent if it had been given directly to a breast cancer research organization. I disagree. Even if the NFL dreamed up the pink uniform accents as a PR stunt, it’s still getting men involved in a good cause. Every guy who watches an NFL game is subjected to numerous pink ribbons and mentions of Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout the course of the game. Hopefully, their knowing about the disease will help them encourage the women in their life to get screened. Heck, they’ll probably jump at the chance to help check for abnormal lumps at home.

comments

Christinaval
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 12:26 pm: [report]

Agreed. I thought it was awesome.

Squidtermz
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 12:34 pm: [report]

Major League Baseball has been doing this for the past several years on Mother’s Day. They rock pink bats and what-not. So they kinda stole the idea there. But it’s still a good thing to do.

intuition
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 12:34 pm: [report]

It was great to see teams from all over rally for such an important cause.

vanya
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 12:43 pm: [report]

Awesome! The NHL has also done this for the past several years. Pink sticks they auction off for $$.

Bitsy Ravenclaw
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 01:01 pm: [report]

‘Pink bat Sunday’ as I’ve dubbed it in the MLB is one of my favourite days all season. It’s awesome to see other sports showing out for us ladies! I know men can get breast cancer too, but since it’s a predominantly female illness, it feels like they are. Plus it’s a subtle reminder that they notice women love football too.

Smartinez1990
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 01:18 pm: [report]

This is pretty cool

tttongue_tied
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 04:37 pm: [report]

There is only one word to describe great hulking men in pads and helmets and sweat and testosterone with little hot pink arm bands: cute.

Knitter79
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 04:57 pm: [report]

In the pre-game, during halftime and at times during the game the announcers would remind the men watching that they should ask their wives/girlfriends/mothers/sisters/etc. if they have had a mammogram or regular exams. It’s a good way for guys to feel involved if they can have the conversation.
I had a scare last year (turned out to be benign thankfully) and told my mom/sister/female friends because I wanted them to know it’s something they should be checking for too (and that not all lumps are cancer). But I was so surprised by the reaction of the men I told. My dad called me before and after every doctor’s visit/scan/biopsy to see what was going on (he normally stays far away from health stuff). It was a completely different perspective. Explaining everything to him stopped me from panicking and helped me to focus on the next step. And it made him feel less helpless. My brother was mad that I hadn’t told him sooner. Weird talking to them about my breast but whatever.

secretstevie
wrote on October 5 2009 @ 08:15 pm: [report]

poco1

that was virtually incoherent. all i really got out of what you were saying is that you’re an ass.

Jillakiss
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 07:23 am: [report]

Chad Ochocinco on the Bengals vowed to continue wearing the pink items through the end of the season, then whatever fines he’ll take on by being “out of uniform” he’s going to match and donate to the cause. Pretty tremendous of him, and the NFL in general.

Um, what I HOPE poco1 is trying to articulate is frustration with the fact that breast cancer awareness is better marketed than any other form of cancer, or disease in general. Well I agree with that sentiment, but hope that it just challenges other nonprofits to do a better job of raising awareness. And that for-profit organizations recognize their efforts and partner with other causes.

sportzriter13
wrote on October 6 2009 @ 10:27 am: [report]

@Susu-just go away. I used monosyllable words to make sure you understood my command.
@Jillakiss-very true, but I think that other causes (notably autism) are learning from Breast Cancer awareness and are starting to take the steps to be known.

Kudos to Chad Ochocinco for that. What our village idiots, poco1 and susu fail to note is that Breast Cancer can also affect men. It’s much rarer and hardly discussed, but also more fatal because it is harder to catch. So if they could maybe add a blue stripe to the pink ribbon to symbolize the guys who are fighting too, that would be cool. Then they can bring awareness not just to cancer affecting women, but men too, and perhaps eliminate any kind of stigma that seems to be attached to male breast cancer.
@Poco1, only one with a complete and utter lack of class would wish cancer on another. We “dogs” and our “silly causes” aren’t. We are asking for your help and support. We’re even sad little boys like you. We ask for you to help us, because no one deserves such a fate, male or female. I do care about both, and agree with certain issues, like tort reform. However, attacking women, and using first-grade language is not going to earn my support or sympathy. Got it?