PubKicks

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s wife Tanya Snyder are leading the campaign for breast cancer awareness around the NFL, and they aren’t the only ones who will man up and wear pink throughout the month of October in honor of the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer awareness campaign. Other players throughout the league will also don pink apparel this month in support of October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, leading the largest on-field crusade for the national screening-reminder campaign.

The pink-themed campaign kicks off Sunday, Oct. 4, and the festivities will include players wearing pink cleats, wristbands, captains’ patches, sideline caps and towels. The ‘pink parade’ also includes pink on-field ribbon stencils, pink goal post padding, pink coins used in the coin toss and pink rally towels for Oct. 4 and 5 Sunday Night and Monday Night Football games. Pink merchandise worn during games will be autographed and auctioned off post-game and are available at nflauction.nfl.com, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society.

No matter the team, there are almost 100 players around the league who will be suiting up in partially pink apparel during the month of October, and among those are the following: Larry Fitzgerald, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Jay Cutler, DeAngelo Williams, Joe Flacco, Chad Ochocinco, Reggie Wayne, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Rothlisberger, LaDainian Tomlinson, Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Sanchez, Calvin Johnson, Champ Bailey, Andre Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Joey Porter, Ronde Barber, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Cooley and more.

The campaign that Larry Fizgerald and Tanya Snyder are spearheading is called “A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives” and is an attempt to encourage women over the age of 40 to get annual mammograms. The campaign is close to the hearts of both influential figures, as Snyder is recovering from breast cancer herself and Fitzgerald’s mother passed away due to the disease while he was in college. “The ‘Crucial Catch’ initiative reminds us all how important it is to take care of the women in our lives,” Fitzgerald said. “I hope to keep my mother’s legacy alive by taking part in this campaign.”

For football fans with NFL tickets bought online to upcoming games this October, there will be a flood of pink no matter which team patrons are cheering for. Sports companies such as Reebok, Nike, Adidas, Wilson, Under Armour and more are helping create pink merchandise for games in October, and Gatorade carts will also feature pink ribbon decals for the month, as well. The “Crucial Catch” campaign will also pull in money from the NFL Referees’ Association, which will donate part of its game play money to breast cancer charities totaling $24,000. Referees for NFL games in October will also go with the pink theme in wearing pink-accented hats and pins during games.

While the color pink is the hottest trend in the NFL this month, the star players suiting up in the girly color this month have a lot more than fashion on their minds. For outspoken Cincinnati Bengals star receiver Chad Ochocinco, wearing pink is a statement he’ll stand by no matter the consequence. During the preseason, Ochocinco was fined $5,000 for violating league rules in wearing an orange chinstrap during a game, but he plans on putting a twist on this stunt for the month of October, wearing a pink chinstrap to show his support for breast cancer awareness, even regardless of a possible fine it could bring. “It’s OK,” Ochocinco said. “If the NFL fines me, whatever they fine me, I will match it and donate it to a breast cancer charity.” How about that for a class act.