When I was a child during October, I vividly remember seeing multiple professional sports teams wearing pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Though I often still see this, one place where it’s noticeably sparse is the NFL.
I wondered why.
What goes on behind the scenes when large corporations support causes like breast cancer awareness? Where are the funds going? Are they actually directed toward research and education like we’ve been led to believe?
The answer: Not quite.
If platforms, like — but not limited to — the NFL, are going to raise funds for a cause as invasive as breast cancer, there needs to be transparency about where the money is going. There should also be consequences for those that pocket more than half of the funds raised.
In 2023, The National Library of Medicine published a study indicating that women reported seeing fundraising efforts more frequently than educational campaigns, despite breast cancer being the number one diagnosed cancer among women in the U.S.
The NFL used to be a prominent supporter of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Players wore pink, the league sold merchandise, and they organized fundraising events.
You might think this is great, but it was all for profit.
Business Insider reported in 2013 that only 8.1 percent of the money from the NFL’s pink merchandise went toward cancer research, with 37.5 percent going to the manufacturer and 50 percent going to the retailer — often the NFL and its teams.
After this scandal was uncovered, the NFL’s support for breast cancer awareness diminished. In 2016, the league announced it would part ways with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed to end breast cancer, and allow individual teams to decide which cancers to advocate for with the league’s “A Crucial Catch” initiative.
It’s quite daunting and weird that after the scandal, there are few recent reports about cancer fundraising beyond those from 2013 to 2016. Other than the study from 2013 to 2016 about cancer fundraising in the NFL. I mean, at least they were transparent, I guess?
Like I said in my last column for this series, breast cancer is diagnosed far sooner than many women realize. I didn’t know myself until I researched for that column that I could be at risk now. That’s why it’s crucial to spread awareness and invest in research so that young women and men understand the risks. Fundraising is valuable, but only when the funds are used for the right reasons.
The University of Iowa participates in multiple Breast Cancer Awareness fundraisers through their athletics, trying their best to spread awareness for their fans every year. Last February, the Iowa Women’s Basketball team wore pink for the Play4Kay campaign in honor of Kay Yow, a North Carolina State basketball coach who died of breast cancer in 2009 after battling for 22 years. Play4Kay raises awareness and money for cancer research.
Play4Kay has raised $8.7 million since it started in 2006, helping those affected all over the world.
UI players could be seen in this game with different names on their backs, each paying tribute to a loved one who is or was battling breast cancer.
Recently, I learned about a new term while talking to my peers about this column. They asked if I had ever heard of the term “pinkwashing.” I hadn’t, so I did some research.
According to BreastCancer.org, pinkwashing occurs when for-profit companies and charitable organizations use the pink ribbon symbol to advertise their products and services under the guise of supporting breast cancer awareness.
This type of cause marketing is harmful to cancer patients and misleads consumers who believe their purchases are supporting a good cause. In reality, they’re just promoting the problem.
We see this type of marketing all the time that we never even question it. It’s crazy. For example, Revlon, in partnership with The National Breast Cancer Coalition, plastered beauty products with pink ribbons even though they contained parabens and DMDM hydantoin — a chemical that releases formaldehyde.
If you didn’t know, formaldehyde can cause cancer.
This is a prime example of pinkwashing that we see all the time but don’t think twice about.
These campaigns and fundraising schemes are part of the problem limiting proper research and education about breast cancer and other cancers.
Large corporations claiming to support cancer awareness need to be held accountable. Are they doing this for the right reasons or are they just out for the profit?