As the NFL raises money for Breast Cancer, why can't our football do the same, wonders Alex Ferguson?
The macho world of NFL shows our sports the way
If you're new to the sport of the NFL, then October 2011 might be quite a strange month for you to come in.
First of all, there's a game outside of the United States of America - at Wembley - despite the name American Football. Secondly, there's a two-minute warning for no reason whatsoever at the end of each half. And thirdly, all the athletes and coaches are wearing pink.
That's right, pink. The mad, bad players of the such macho-named teams such as the Steelers, Chargers, Bears and Lions are wearing a garish pink colour, which makes them look about as macho as, well, this writer's picture on skysports.com.
But throughout October, pink is the word, it's the time, it's the place, it's the motion. Why? Because it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the NFL is joining the world's call to get everyone checked out for lumps in their breasts via its own initiative called 'The Crucial Catch'.
To make things better, the NFL teamed up with its corporate partners (check 'em out on the NFL's website) - and sanctioned the wearing of - boots, towels, gloves, mouthguards, armbands. Referees and coaches are wearing the colour too, hoping that people will get the gist of what they are saying and get scanned. Not only that, but stadiums and special on-field pink ribbons were adorned, which you couldn't avoid unless you'd locked yourself in a cupboard.
"People don't expect to see [the bright pink colour] when they turn on the television [and] they realize the impact it has and they know these players are impact by breast cancer also, their wives, their sisters, their mothers," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told
Fox News in an interview earlier this month. "We are all affected by it and that's what I we believe we can make a difference."
And speaking of impact, it's had quite a visual impression, too. If you don't believe us, check out the thousands who filled Detroit's Ford Field for the Lions' Monday Night Football victory over the Chicago Bears, who were whirling their pink towels in a very loud replication of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The shots of coaches and icons wearing pink makes you realise that this is something that everybody's involved in - and something that the NFL and the NFLPA can embrace together and has some healing.
And to make matters better, all the special apparel (and there must be tons of it) will be auctioned off to NFL fans, with the money going to the American Cancer Society. And yes, worldwide donations are welcome.
Poignant
Of course, there are difficult moments to imagine. Can you imagine how poignant the promotion of breast cancer awareness month must be for the New England Patriots, who lost much-loved Myra Kraft, wife of their owner Robert, who died of the horrific disease earlier this year? Can you imagine how poignant this sort of campaign would be for the fans, too?
This year, the cancer thing rang really true in the head of this writer. You see, my wife's got cancer (colorectal, if you really want to know), and while it was somewhat of a happy mistake that we caught it the first time, the second group of screens (and blood tests after her first rounds of chemo) made sure that the cancer that had come back (sadly), was found, and we're now midway through the second treatment. In other words, if there's anyone who knows about the value of getting your butt to a hospital for a scan, it's us. And you know what? The screening process really isn't that scary.
Personal feelings aside, it got me thinking: Why couldn't we do the same with the European Football Leagues, but instead for testicular cancer, bearing in mind every player and most supporters of the beautiful game are men?
I realise that there's an initiative with 'Movember', where men don't shave their upper lip for a month in an effort to raise awareness of testicular cancer, but couldn't we do something with the combined manufacturers too to raise awareness?
Can you imagine the good feeling towards the Premier League, especially in a time when its footballers, in a time of recession, are asking for hundreds of millions in wages? And can you imagine how many lives something like this would save - especially with the push coming from the biggest names in the world like a Lionel Messi or a Wayne Rooney?
Don't get me wrong, the football is great without it. But as the NFL have proved during October, it was much better with something to fight for on a united front.
