The NFL's Pink October does not raise money for cancer research

[n2doc]

If you're a football fan—and, y'know, a good human being—you've probably once in the last six years been lured into buying the NFL's Pink October paraphernalia and then slept well thinking about your contribution to the league's effort to "help fight breast cancer."

In which case, this might keep you awake: The month-long campaign that paints everything from player's shoes to fields to penalty flags pink, doesn't actually result in a single dollar donated to breast cancer research. Yup, not a penny.

This is how it works: The NFL donates proceeds from its awareness campaign, auctions, and the NFL Shop to the American Cancer Society (ACS), which in turns uses that money to increase awareness, education, and screenings for women over 40.

"The money that we receive from NFL has nothing to do with our research program," ACS spokeswoman Tara Peters told VICE Sports. All NFL donations go to ACS' CHANGE program, through which the organization awards grants to "community based health facilities" located within 100 miles of an NFL city for educating women about breast health. The ACS could not provide the names of any of these health facilities, but it says that these centers have answered questions about early detection of the disease for at least 72,000 women in the last three years and screened 10,000 women at little or no cost.

Seems admirable, right? Actually, no, says Karuna Jaggar, who heads the Think Before You Pink campaign, a watchdog for the country's breast cancer programs. She finds the NFL's A Crucial Catch campaign's public health message, "Annual Screening Saves Lives," highly misinformative.

more

https://sports.vice.com/article/the-nfls-pink-october-does-not-raise-money-for-cancer-research

[jen63]

1. A better choice than

Komen or the NFL, is the Stephanie Spielman Fund. Her husband Chris runs the fund and is the real deal, he walks the walk. The irony here is that he was a stand out player for Ohio State and gave up going pro to be with his wife while she spent years battling breast cancer. The cancer killed her, but he continues the fight in her name. Great man.

[packman]

2. I stopped giving to the Susan Koman fund

when they become politicized with the Planned Parenthood fiasco. The Pink-this-and-pink that has all the earmarks of a huckster organization.

[gopiscrap]

3. Figures:

another major corporation fucking people over for their own self-aggrandizement!

[joeglow3]

4. I swear, some people just hunt for stuff to bitch about

Reminds me of a few years ago when I saw people bitching about women posting the color of their bras on facebook.

The NFL could do nothing and still shit gold. I am not going to praise them, but I see nothing wrong if all they achieve is additional awareness and keep the issue in everyone's mind for a month.

[seabeyond]

5. my anger has built the last 3 yrs with pink month. profit off the pain, fear, even death of women

with little to none going to the disease is appalling. then the part where men/boys play the boobie card in giggle, with a disease that kills. anything to get the young males attention for support. really? ....

i cannot stand pink month. i refuse to purchase anything with pink. and i was a big supporter three years ago and beyond. now, i support the local and planned parenthood.

and i have seen much much less pink this year, compared to the last two years.