The NFL is launching its “Crucial Catch” initiative this month, and it is concentrating on getting screened to catch cancer early when it may be easier to treat.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on screening, with some cancer screenings declining by 90 per cent. So the league and the American Cancer Society are allocating resources dedicated to safely restarting cancer screenings in communities with the most need.
For many forms of cancer (breast, cervical, colorectal and prostate), the five-year survival rate is above 90 per cent when detected early before it has a chance to spread.
“It Takes All of Us to Intercept Cancer” has the NFL and ACS working together to encourage screenings. This is the 13th consecutive year the league and the ACS are working together. The initiative kicks off in stadiums Sunday and continues through Week 6 games, addressing early detection and risk-reduction efforts across multiple types of cancers.
“The COVID -19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on cancer screenings, with a screening decline that the American Cancer Society expects to lead to more late cancer diagnoses and increased cancer deaths in the future,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. “This year, it is critical to safely restart cancer screenings and to ensure that everyone has access to life-saving screening. The strong, ongoing support of the NFL and Crucial Catch is invaluable to the American Cancer Society’s work to increase cancer screenings, especially in under-served communities that need them most.”
All 32 NFL teams have the option of supporting early detection and risk-reduction efforts for one or multiple cancers in their stadiums and in their communities. Players may wear cleats, shoelaces and wristbands in any colour representing the type of cancer awareness they support or have been impacted by during their team’s Crucial Catch game.
There also will be game balls with the Crucial Catch logo; multicoloured equipment for players, including helmet decals, captains’ patches, sideline caps and quarterback towels; multicoloured ribbon pins for coaches and teams; caps and pins for game officials; multicoloured goal post wraps in end zones; and field-wall banners in the colour of the cancer awareness movement that each club supports.
A TV spot will include coaches Bruce Arians and Ron Rivera, both cancer survivors; Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, whose mother was diagnosed with, and successfully battled pancreatic cancer in 2013; and Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out of last season to work on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19.