NFL raises awareness
Every Sunday during the month of October, National Football League (NFL) games look a little different.
Among the normal team colors of blue, red, white, black, green, yellow, orange and purple is the color pink. Pink may not be a color that is often associated with a football team, but October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the NFL has chosen to raise awareness by adding pink.
I love that the NFL does this. When I tuned into the first game of the month, I smiled and thought to myself, “I love October.” I love October for many reasons (playoff baseball, college football filled Saturdays), but I appreciate and enjoy the inclusion of pink in the NFL players’ uniforms.
According to an article on the NFL’s website, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month games will feature game balls with pink ribbon decals; pink kicking tees; pink cleats, wristbands, gloves, sideline caps, helmet decals, captains’ patches, chin straps, shoe laces, skull caps, sideline towels, eye shield decals and quarterback towels for players; pink coins for the coin toss; pink sideline caps for coaches and sideline personnel and pink ribbon pins for coaches and team executives; pink caps, wristbands, whistles and pins for game officials; on-field pink ribbon stencils; pink goal post padding and breast cancer awareness pompons, shirts and wristbands for cheerleaders.
My heart swells knowing that this sport filled with grown men has found a way to support the women in their lives, whether that is mothers, wives, daughters or fans.
According to the NFL’s website, for the entire month the NFL teams up with the American Cancer Society for an initiative called, “A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives” to remind women ages 40 and older about the importance of having an annual mammogram.
“To date, the partnership has raised more than $3 million for the American Cancer Society, with the majority of the donation coming from the sale of pink items at retail and on NFL Auction,” said the NFL website.
This year, the money raised by the NFL will be supporting the American Cancer Society’s Community Health Advocates National Grants for Empowerment (CHANGE) program, which provides outreach and breast cancer screenings for women who need them.
It may seem odd that the NFL, whose main viewers are men, is reaching out to women, but based on the statistics from last year, this has been successful. According to the NFL website, in 2011 alone, the NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” campaign reached more than 151 million viewers, including 58 million women ages 18 and older.
The site also said, “The campaign’s message is making a real impact – 64 percent of NFL female fans and 61 percent of all NFL fans identify the importance of annual screenings, especially for women over 40.”
As a female sports fan, this initiative means more to me than what I could say in this piece. A sport dominated by men taking a little bit of time to raise awareness and remind women that their lives matter demonstrates a lot about the character of the NFL and every player who chooses to participate.
[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE OCTOBER 2012 EDITION OF “THE PULSE”]