NFL Supports Breast Cancer Awareness With Pink Equipment
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The NFL and the American Cancer Society have partnered up to support October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
More than $8 million has been raised through the partnership for the American Cancer Society, mostly off of the sales of pink merchandise at NFL retail stores and online.
The "Crucial Catch" annual campaign advocates for the implementation of the Nationwide Grants for Empowerment Program (CHANGE), which provides outreach and breast cancer screenings to women in underprivileged areas.
Since 2012, recipients of the grants provided by CHANGE have supplied women with over 64,000 screenings, while over 150,000 women have received education on the benefits of breast cancer screening.
Beginning tonight during the Thursday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL will celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month with several changes to normal game play and equipment.
Notable Equipment Changes
- Game balls will feature pink ribbon
- Pink kicking tees
- Pink cleats, wristbands, gloves, sideline caps, helmet decals, captains patches, chin straps, shoe laces, skull caps, towels, and eye shield decals
- Pink Bose headsets for coaches
- Pink coins for the coin toss
- Team specific New Era hats with pink accents
- Pink ribbon pins
- Pink caps, wristbands, whistles, and pins for game officials
- Pink goal post padding
- Breast Cancer awareness pompoms, shirts, and wristbands for cheerleaders.
To donate, plan a screening, or share the campaign with friends, go to NFL.com/pink.
Game-worn memorabilia from the entire month in the NFL will be auctioned off in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Special pink merchandise is available at NFLShop.com, Dicks Sporting Goods, Lids, in-stadium retail stores, and at various other retailers.
Ticketmaster will also contribute one dollar for every NFL ticket sold on Ticketmaster and the NFL Ticket Exchange during the month of October.
The NFL and the American Cancer Society extended A Crucial Catch to the youth and high school level again this year.
USA Football, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and Houston Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brein sent a note to youth and high school football coach across the country offering ideas for how schools and teams can "go pink."
Interested fans may visit cancer.org/ACrucialCatch to get involved
