About Crucial Catch

About Crucial Catch

The NFL, its clubs, players, the NFL Players Association, and the American Cancer Society are committed to the fight against cancer. Crucial Catch expands the impact of the NFL's work around breast cancer to address multiple types of cancer through early detection and risk reduction.

As part of the expanded Crucial Catch campaign, the NFL and American Cancer Society teamed to develop and provide individuals nationwide with The Defender, a free digital assessment tool that helps consumers better understand and reduce their cancer risk. The tool provides users with personalized, quick and informative recommendations on how they can take action and adapt their lifestyles to reduce their risk of cancer.

While all teams will support the overall league message of early detection and risk reduction, each team has elected to support either a specific cancer or multiple cancers for its 2018 Crucial Catch game. Throughout October, NFL Crucial Catch games will feature players, coaches, fans, and referees in apparel supporting multiple types of cancer, as well as additional on-field and in-stadium branding to help raise awareness for the campaign. Much of the apparel worn at games by players and coaches, along with brand new Crucial Catch game items, will be auctioned off at NFL Auction, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society's Community Health Advocates implementing Nationwide Grants for Empowerment and Equity (CHANGE) program.

Overview of the NFL's Fundraising Efforts for the American Cancer Society

Since 2009, the first year of the NFL's Crucial Catch campaign, the NFL's work has raised more than $18.5 million for the American Cancer Society. The NFL does not profit from the sale or auction of cancer awareness-identified merchandise. Money raised through Crucial Catch supports the American Cancer Society's Community Health Advocates implementing Nationwide Grants for Empowerment and Equity (CHANGE) program. This program promotes health equity and addresses cancer early detection disparities through community based cancer prevention programs that increase access to necessary cancer screenings. The program officially launched in 2012 within 17 communities across the country (each within 100 miles of an NFL city). The locations were selected based on data that showed that the population had lower breast cancer screening rates and higher mortality rates relative to other communities. With the expansion of the program, healthcare centers in all 32 NFL team markets now receive CHANGE grants to provide outreach, education and cancer screenings and increase access to these potentially life-saving resources.

About Grant Recipient Communities and Their Events

To date, the NFL's investment in saving more lives from cancer in local NFL markets, led to more than 902,400 individuals reached, and has contributed to 310,200 cancer screenings provided at low or no cost.

The following grant-funded communities will provide outreach, education, and breast cancer screenings this season (see below):

Background on Retail/Licensed Product

All NFL Crucial Catch product is produced by official NFL licensees. As NFL licensees, such companies pay a royalty (% of wholesale sales) to the NFL when selling officially licensed products to retailers worldwide. The NFL receives payment of that wholesale royalty once licensees sell their respective NFL licensed products to distributors and retailers (i.e., the royalty is not based on retailers' consumer-facing prices in-store or online).

The NFL does not retain any profits generated by royalties received due to the sale of Crucial Catch products. All dollars are donated to the American Cancer Society.