NFL Will Use Pink Flags During Jets Game to Honor Breast Cancer Awareness

Roger Goodell has made the decision to use pink flags instead of the traditional yellow for this Sunday’s game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.

The NFL commissioner announced the news via Twitter.

"

An 11-year-old NJ boy wrote me suggesting officials use pink flags for breast cancer awareness … (more)

— Roger Goodell (@nflcommish) October 24, 2012"

"

… Great idea Dante. We’ll do it Sunday @ the Jets game & you can deliver them to the officials. more info tinyurl.com/8dvro68

— Roger Goodell (@nflcommish) October 24, 2012"

The game will kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

The league is in the midst of its fourth “A Crucial Catch” campaign during October— which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month—to highlight the importance of annual screenings.

Pink flags are the latest among many promotions, which includes “players, coaches and referees wearing pink game apparel, on-field pink ribbon stencils, special game balls and pink coins,” as noted on NFL.com/pink.

The website details the information of the campaign and the NFL’s partnership with the American Cancer Society's Community Health Advocates National Grants for Empowerment (CHANGE) program. It notes that all gear worn by football stars will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the CHANGE program.

The league’s partners are also actively involved, and the campaign brings in some of the biggest corporations in the world, including Nike, Pepsi and Gatorade.

With one of the most visible and comprehensive charitable campaigns in professional sports, the NFL has used its massive popularity to raise significant amounts of money and awareness for its cause.

NFL.com notes, "At the national level, the campaign has reached newfound levels of awareness, while locally, the programs and tools the NFL has put in place are being adopted at a higher rate than ever before."

Raising awareness for the importance of annual screenings is truly a noble cause, and using pink flags is emblematic of the league’s creative and persistent efforts to further this mission.