words // Brandon Richard
While NFL action is always entertaining, the biggest story on the field in Week 5 was the acknowledgement of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, the NFL allows players, personnel and officials to be outfitted in pink gear to bring attention to the cause. Additionally, the NFL highlights its own ‘Crucial Catch’ campaign, which is focused on the importance of annual screenings.
This past weekend, we saw cleats, gloves, towels, wristbands, whistles, mouthguards another other accessories from virtually every sporting goods brand. Some players used the platform to pay homage to loved ones who have battled or been lost to the disease. Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel’s mother Jackie battled breast cancer much of last year and is currently in remission. To salute the most important woman in his life, EJ wrote ‘Love Mom’ on his pink-based Nike Alpha Pro cleats. Similarly, San Francisco 49ers receiver Kyle Williams created a custom pair of Zoom Vapor Carbon Fly 2 cleats in tribute to his grandmother, who he lost to breast cancer while he was in high school.
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Denver Broncos edged out the Dallas Cowboys in a historic 99-point game; the Cleveland Browns won their third straight game after trading Trent Richardson on Thursday night; Cincinnati handed the New England Patriots their first loss of the season; the Green Bay Packers easily handled a Detroit Lions team missing Calvin Johnson; Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts picked up another big win after knocking off the Seattle Seahawks at home; the Kansas City Chiefs became the second team in NFL history to start 5-0 after having the worst record in the previous season; San Francisco continued to get back on track with a dominant 34-3 home win over the Houston Texans; and the New York Jets surprised the Atlanta Falcons on the road to send the birds to a surprising 1-4 start.
Have a look at some of the Breast Cancer Awareness football cleats and gear that hit the field during Week 5 in today’s NFL Watch.
EJ Manuel – Nike Alpha Pro 3/4 TD
Colin Kaepernick – Nike Alpha Pro Low TD
Anthony Dixon – Under Armour Cam Highlight MC
Kyle Williams – Nike Zoom Vapor Carbon Fly 2
Brandon Carr – Under Armour Cam Low MC
Knowshon Moreno – Reebok Zig Blaze
Nick Toon – Under Armour Nitro Glove
Greg Toler – Nike Air Zoom Huarache 3
Antoine Bethea – Nike Air Zoom Huarache 3
Reggie Wayne – Reebok Zig Blaze Low
DeAngelo Williams – Nike Air Zoom Merciless
Steve Smith – Under Armour Mercenary
Daryl Washington – Nike Vapor Pro Low TD
Michael Vick – Nike Lunar Superbad Pro TD
Hakeem Nicks – Jordan Six Rings
Hakeem Nicks – Jordan Six Rings
Eddie Royal – Nike Vapor Jet 2.0 Receiver Gloves
Terrelle Pryor – Under Armour Cam Highlight MC
Andre Gurode – Nike Zoom Code Elite 3/4
I really am a big fan of the Crucial Catch campaign, although the pink penalty flags did get a little bit confusing. Without a doubt, it certainly has helped keep the issue on more people’s minds during October. I am not sure if this was the first year, but Major League Soccer is doing their own campaign for breast cancer awareness month this year called “Soccer Kicks Cancer”. So don’t be surprised by all the pink if you tune in for a soccer game too. For my part, I helped put together an infographic which details some of the history behind breast cancer awareness, contributing organizations, as well as some prominent figures which have overcome this illness. I was hoping to share it with you here, even though I am not sure that you accept links here in the comment body. In any case, you can find my new infographic here: http://www.knowcancer.com/blog/breast-cancer-awareness-2013-infographic/
Save the Tatas!
How to order those gloves
Hello Sandra Bullock…I love your movies
You can order pink football gloves here: http://www.eastbay.com/_-_/keyword-pink+football+gloves