Posted by Birthday Cate on October 20, 2009 in 
A big “More Birthdays” shout out to the National Football League for its commitment to creating a world with more birthdays by raising the profile of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have to say that I never expected to see professional athletes sporting pink cleats or arm bands, but what a kick (or should I say “catch”) last Sunday when I watched the games!
It’s all part of the NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” campaign, focused on the importance of cancer screenings, especially annual mammograms for women age 40 and older. As part of the campaign, NFL games throughout October feature players, coaches, and referees wearing pink game apparel to raise awareness about breast cancer, as well as on-field pink ribbon stencils and special K-balls and pink coins.
Seeing pink flying across the field, huddled up, and piled up made an impact on me. I’ll definitely remember it for a while. I’m also pleasantly surprised by the level of individual commitment. Players like Brett Farve, Drew Brees, Larry FitzGerald, DeAngelo Williams, Ladainian Tomlinson, and many more made a personal investment to bring this campaign to life. Most of them have a very personal connection to breast cancer just like the rest of us, but unlike the rest of us, they have a status in our society that makes their efforts particularly effective.
So many thanks to all of those involved in the NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” campaign. The attention it’s brought to the importance of breast cancer screening will surely contribute to helping us create a world with more birthdays. I hope they’ll continue their good work by joining us at morebirthdays.com.
P.S. All apparel worn at games by players and coaches and special K-balls and pink coins will be auctioned off at NFLAuction.NFL.com, with proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society and team charities. According to the NFL, this is an issue that has directly touched the lives of so many in the NFL family, and they are committed to helping make a difference in helping people stay well from breast cancer.
P.P.S. Did you see pink flying across the field last week? What did you think?
Yesterday, the SV Moms blog joined us in celebrating more birthdays by inviting bloggers from their 11 regional blogs to write about all things birthdays and what they meant to the authors as moms. Throughout the day, the stories came in – stories of love and of struggle, mothers whose loved ones had been touched by cancer, feeling the triumph of each additional birthday first-hand. There were funny stories and sad stories, some that gave you goose bumps and others that pulled on your heartstrings.