From Pink Ribbons to Pink Gloves

October has come and gone and the color pink has risen and fallen with it. Over the 31 days in October across the world people come together for events on breast cancer. But the on going event that carries the most weight, and gets the most attention would be the NFL’s “A Crucial Catch.”

Over 15.4 million people watch an NFL game on game day according to Recode and Kurt Wagner’s article, and another 243, 000 people watch the game live on Twitter. Making this the most watched event that attributes air time to breast cancer.

The NFL’s fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society started in 2009, the first year of the “A Crucial Catch” campaign. The NFL has raised a stupefying $15 million, with the majority of the contributions coming from the pink merchandise via retail and the NFL Auction website. 100% of sales from the pink products go to the American Cancer Society. On the NFL’s website it is stated the “The NFL does not retain any profits generated by royalties received due to the sale of Pink products. All dollars are donated to ACS.”

All teams participate in the NFL Pink campaign; a quick look at Twitter and you can see moving tweets from the team’s accounts. From the Washington Redskins “It’s Important to help the women in our lives find the time to get screened. See how at NFL.com/Pink #NFLPink #BCA #RedskinsThinkPink. Many more tweets come from the teams account all October long. The NFL’s Pink Campaign brings in millions of dollars for the American Cancer Society, and brings awareness to over 15.4 million people.