Tanya Snyder, Larry Fitzgerald to serve as spokespersons; games throughout October to feature pink cleats, gloves, end zone elements
The NFL and its players will support October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its largest on-field presence and a national screening-reminder campaign. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the initiative, called "A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives," encourages annual mammograms for women over 40.
Playing in pink
The following is just a partial list of players committed to wearing pink cleats this weekend in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month:
Larry FitzgeraldMatt Ryan
Joe Flacco
DeAngelo Williams
Jay Cutler
Chad Ochocinco
Brett Favre
Tom Brady
Drew Brees
Osi Umenyiora
Mark Sanchez
Ben Roethlisberger
LaDainian Tomlinson
Matt Hasselbeck
Ronde Barber
Chris Cooley
Beginning on October 4 and continuing throughout the month, NFL Breast Cancer Awareness games will feature:
» Players wearing pink cleats, wristbands, gloves, sideline caps, helmet decals, captains' patches, sideline towels and quarterback towels
» Pink sideline caps for coaches and sideline personnel and pink ribbon pins for coaches and team executives
» On-field pink ribbon stencils and Crucial Catch wall banners
» Pink goal post padding in end zones
» K-balls with pink ribbon decals
» Pink coins used for coin toss
»Crucial Catch pink rally towels for all fans attending Sunday Night and Monday Night Football games on October 4-5
Game-worn pink merchandise and K-balls will be autographed post-game and auctioned off at www.NFLAuction.NFL.com, with proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society and team charities. Special pink merchandise will be available at NFLShop.com and in stadium retail stores, with a portion of proceeds going to breast cancer charities.
In addition, members of the NFL Referees' Association will donate a portion of their game pay to breast cancer charities in October. Their donations will total $24,000. Officials will don pink-accented caps and pins for games throughout October.
For Mrs. Snyder, a longtime breast cancer fundraiser, the connection to breast cancer is a personal one. "Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 American women and I was one of them last year," she said. "I am proud to work with the league and the Redskins to remind fans about the importance of annual screenings."
Fitzgerald lost his mother to breast cancer in college and has since devoted his time to breast cancer fundraising opportunities. "The Crucial Catch initiative reminds us all how important it is to take care of the women in our lives," said Fitzgerald. "I hope to keep my mother's legacy alive by taking part in this campaign."
From cleats to gloves, towels to caps, NFL partners including Nike, Reebok, adidas, Gatorade, Wilson, Under Armour, Cutters Gloves and McArthur Towel and Sports are creating pink merchandise for breast cancer awareness games. Many NFL licensees also will create special pink products, with a portion of proceeds benefitting breast cancer charities. In addition to creating pink sideline towels for players, Gatorade will produce 1.9 million pink ribbon bottles, on sale at retail stores throughout October; Gatorade sideline carts will feature pink ribbon decals during October. Trading card companies Panini, Topps, and Upper Deck will produce special pink trading cards featuring facts on breast cancer awareness; they will be available, free of charge with purchase, at stadium retail stores.
Fans can visit www.NFL.com/pink to learn more about breast cancer detection and prevention tips.
Many teams will extend the national platform with local efforts, including the distribution of 400,000 pink ribbons facilitated by volunteers from Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) sorority. Teams will designate home games in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and plan special in-stadium or pregame events with local organizations.
