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The National Football League and NFL Players Association will support October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with their fourth-annual national breast cancer screening initiative and fundraising campaign. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the initiative, called "A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives," reminds women 40 and older about the importance of having an annual mammogram.
The Oakland Raiders will hold their breast cancer awareness game on October 21 when the Silver and Black face the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Raiders will unfurl a pink ribbon flag during the pregame celebration as well as honor breast cancer survivors and their families from the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The Raiderettes, who will be celebrating their 50th Raiderette Reunion, will also perform with pink poms and a special pink vest throughout the game. Finally, representatives from the Susan G. Komen Foundation will be distributing pink ribbons to all the fans.
Beginning tonight and continuing throughout the month, NFL breast cancer awareness games will feature:
- Game balls with pink ribbon decals used for every down and pink kicking tees
- Pink equipment for players including: cleats, wristbands, gloves, sideline caps, helmet decals, captains' patches, chin straps, shoe laces, skull caps, sideline towels, eye shield decals and quarterback towels
- Pink coins used 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 and A Crucial Catch wall banners
- Pink goal post padding in end zones
- Breast cancer awareness pompoms, shirts and wristbands for cheerleaders
Special pink merchandise will also be available at www.raiderimage.com.
In 2011 alone, the NFL's A Crucial Catch campaign reached more than 151 million viewers, including 58 million women age 18 and older. The campaign's message is making a real impact—64% of NFL female fans and 61% of all NFL fans identify the importance of annual screenings, especially for women over 40, as the key message of the A Crucial Catch campaign.
NFL Network's A Football Life series will feature former player Chris Spielman on October 31. Spielman's wife Stefanie, lost her battle with breast cancer in 2009. Spielman has devoted much of his post-football life to breast cancer awareness and fundraising.
From cleats to gloves, towels to caps, NFL partners including Gatorade, Longaberger, Nike, Pro Specialties Group, Riddell, Under Armour and Wilson are creating pink merchandise for Breast Cancer Awareness games. Many other partners and licensees including, EA Sports, Panini and Topps will support A Crucial Catch through various products and promotions.
This year, Ticketmaster, ticket service provider to all 32 NFL clubs and the NFL Ticket Exchange, the official ticket exchange of the NFL, will contribute 10 cents for every NFL ticket sold during the month of October to the American Cancer Society, with a $40,000 limit. Additionally, Ticketmaster is printing pink tickets throughout the month to show its support for the cause.
Barclaycard will support A Crucial Catch throughout October with a contribution to the cause (up to $100,000) based on consumer spending using the NFL Extra Points credit card.
New Era will also donate women's hats to every club to be distributed to breast cancer survivors and worn during breast cancer awareness games.
Gatorade will again provide both on and off-the-field support for the cause. Pink towels will be used on the sidelines at every A Crucial Catch game. In addition, Gatorade is producing special edition A Crucial Catch bottles of 32oz. G Series Thirst Quencher that will be sold in Kroger stores nationwide through October 12.
In its first year as an NFL sponsor, Tide will be incorporating A Crucial Catch messaging throughout its ongoing "They're not just colors" NFL campaign.
Fans can visit www.NFL.com/pink to learn more about the campaign, the youth and high school football initiative, as well as important breast cancer detection information, prevention tips and how to participate in their local American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® walk.
NFL Players will be raising money for breast cancer awareness with collective and individual efforts across the country. Through the NFLPA's One Team for the Cure and their own foundations, players will host a variety of events and fundraisers in their team cities and home communities. More information can be found at www.nflplayers.com/About-us/One-Team-One-Community/.
