Whew! When fall hits, so do a slew of official "months." October is now swathed in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month ; less expected, however, is this sudden influx of pink National Football League merchandise. For the latter, it seems, we can thank Tanya Snyder, 47, whose husband Dan owns the Washington Redskins. She told the New York Times about the way cancer changed her life:
After she learned she had breast cancer early last year, she called Dan at his office and he sped home. They took a long walk. “I just remember being in a twilight zone,” she said. “I felt like I was 2 feet tall. I was very afraid.”
In the decade her husband has owned the Redskins, Tanya Snyder has ceded the spotlight to him. Now she is talking about her illness for the first time, becoming the delicate face of the N.F.L.’s effort during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with help from Larry Fitzgerald, the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, whose mother died of breast cancer.
At games on Oct. 4 and on other dates in October, players will wear hot-pink gloves, wristbands and cleats, and goal-post legs will be wrapped in hot-pink padding. Each fan will receive a pink-and-white rally towel and will be inundated with the message that screenings for women over 40 are crucial.
“Before she got sick, she’d be all excited about these programs,” Dan Snyder said in an interview at Redskins Park, the team’s headquarters. “It’s kind of eerie. So maybe it was meant to be to help with this.”
Read the rest of the news at Women's Voices For Change.
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Yesterday I turned on the TV for some background noise and there was a football game on. Usually, I wouldn't pay attention, but they were talking about breast cancer awareness and showing all the pink ribbons(on the refs' wrists, etc).
I was really impressed. My grandmother died of this disease, and my sister-in-law was diagnosed at age 35 last year. I thought it was a tasteful way(rather than the "save the tits" type campaigns aimed at men) to get the message out to a wide male audience. People forget that men can get breast cancer too, so hopefully the NFL spreading the message will make it less taboo for men to talk about.
I am a huge fan of this campaign. So much better than the "Save the boobs" stuff we've seen. And I love football and it's so great to see them raising awareness.
Oh and I just have to add...
Go Bears!
Geaux Saints!