An Open Letter to the NFL: Why We Can't Neglect Prostate Cancer

AN OPEN LETTER TO ROGER GOODELL, COMMISSIONER OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Dear Commissioner Goodell,

In October the National Football League ensured that its many millions of fans saw pink -- the symbolic color for breast cancer awareness. With almost 39,840 women expected to die this year from breast cancer, says the National Cancer Institute, the NFL's "Crucial Catch" campaign played a huge part in making many Americans aware of this disease, so that support can follow for new treatments and an ultimate cure.

But did you know that almost as many American men die each year from prostate cancer? The NCI estimates that more than 32,000 American fathers, husbands, brothers, sons and friends will die this year from that disease. Yet the NFL has yet to provide similar support for prostate cancer.

Indeed, there's very little emphasis on men's health issues in today's society. Men are less prone to visit a doctor or to speak of health issues. Yet men are just as likely to die from various ailments, including prostate cancer.

The NFL's enormous reach did enormous good for breast cancer awareness, and we should all thank you. When players, coaches and even officials wore pink apparel during games, it spiked awareness, and surely spurred action by many more women to get screened for breast cancer. That being the case, the inevitable result will be that the NFL's $10 million Crucial Catch campaign will have the greatest and grandest effect possible: It will save lives.

Yet more lives need saving, too. And that's why I'm asking you to throw the league's full support behind next year's Prostate Cancer Awareness month, September 2011.

Millions of boys grow up watching NFL games, and the rarely discussed disease of prostate cancer will wind up killing them at an alarming rate. In fact, prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men. The NCI estimates that 217,230 cases will be diagnosed this year, more than the 207,090 cases of breast cancer that it expects will be diagnosed.

As with breast cancer, the NFL could use its massive resources and drawing power to shed light on a topic that needs far great examination. Clearly, the NFL can make a difference -- and so it should. Besides, it's never too early to start educating young men and raising their awareness of men's health issues.

Prostate cancer often is considered an "old man's disease," but it's anything but. In fact, I was diagnosed this year at age 35. Up until then, like most Americans, I knew nothing about it. Now I do -- and I want to share that knowledge with the NFL's help.

Numbers don't lie: One in six of your players, referees and men in your front office - not to mention the male true believers in the stands and watching on TV - are at risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. On top of that, this cancer has a higher rate among African-American men, who dominate your players' ranks.

I wasn't aware of what the NFL does to encourage prostate cancer screening, so I sought information. Scrolling down to the bottom of the NFL.com homepage, I clicked on "In the Community." This took me to "Join the Team." There, I clicked on "Health." There I found a link to learn more under "Know Your Stats About Prostate Cancer." I then found a hyperlink to a separate site, KnowYourStats.org, which stated the following:

The National Football League joins forces with the American Urological Association (AUA) Foundation to encourage men over 40 to talk with their doctors about prostate cancer, their PSA (prostate-specific antigen) score and getting regular physicals.

But so far, from the world's most powerful sports league, that seems to be it.

Now that can change. If the NFL can launch an effort for prostate cancer as it did with breast cancer in Crucial Catch, then local and national support next September will:

* Raise Awareness: A sea of blue will put a spotlight on prostate cancer.
* Prompt Action: More men will get cancer screenings, with early detection vitally important.
* Raise Money: Fund-raising efforts will ensure better treatments and help find a cure.
* Save Lives: With the NFL's action comes support. With support comes a greater chance of survival for all men.

September 2011 is just 10 months away, but I know developing campaigns takes time, so it's not too early. My hope is that the NFL, the American Cancer Society and the Prostate Cancer Foundation soon will join forces and announce a campaign for September 2011 -- a campaign that will make a difference by raising awareness and, most importantly, by saving lives.

Respectfully,

Gabe Canales

Houston, Texas

 

Follow Gabe Canales on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BlueCureGabe

Comments

[Ben Cohn]

02:48 PM on 11/16/2010

Prostate cancer awareness does not bring with it female fans nor appease wives/girlfriends who complain about their men watching to much footbal nor provide for pink jersey's and clothing to sell to those women...thus the NFL has no interest.

[jersmom]

01:07 PM on 11/16/2010

Last week I was one of four prostate cancer advocates to meet with the NFL to press them into wearing light blue for prostate cancer awareness month. One of my arguments is that you cannot separate these two cancers because they are both hormone related and, in many ways, are brother and sister cancers. Being so similar in so many ways, including incidence and number of deaths, how can they be approached so differently in the public eye? Breast cancer awareness took off because we women are much more proactive about our bodies. The NFL is in such a perfect position to highlight the need for men to pay closer attention to their health and also to dispel the myth that it isn't "manly" to have prostate cancer...and more importantly, to treat it. Doing as much they currently do for prostate cancer awareness, the NFL is remiss in making it truly visible to the public at large, doing a great disservice to all of us. My son died at 36 from prostate cancer and approximately 3,000 men under the age of 40 die annually of this disease due to lack of early detection and lack of awareness. If men don't speak up for themselves, maybe the NFL can be a voice. Right now, they are a whisper.

[DJ1964]

11:05 AM on 11/15/2010

Gabe's right in many ways. There's no question that cancer awareness campaigns are trendy (ie, the I Love Boobies bracelets which, by the way, are generating $3 million a month for a charity that donates less than 2% to breast cancer research). You can't walk through a store without seeing pink products everywhere. At the cash register they ask, "Would you like to donate $5 to breast cancer awareness?" More men (by a hair) will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year than women with breast cancer. $900 million in funding this year will go to breast cancer while $400 million will go to prostate cancer research. Much of this publicity is due to the tireless work of people like Susan Komen for the Cure which raises $35 million and has marketing agreements with 60 companies. And, hate to say it, but breasts are easier to market than prostate glands. We have prostate cancer throughout my family and most men do. It's time to have this discussion.

[tomtrevor]

11:08 PM on 11/13/2010

Any thing that will raise awareness should be supported. Considering the disproportionate funding for breast cancer VS prostate cancer I would hope that any organization that supports fining a cure for breast cancer would support finding a cure for prostate cancer too. Why would anyone oppose trying to cure any disease.

[bassfishingchief]

06:31 PM on 11/13/2010

If pink is for breasts, I don't think the Cleveland Browns are going to like to prostate color association.

[filmex]

03:47 PM on 11/13/2010

I agree. There are different ways, and other sports, to raise awareness regarding a variety of illnesses. Let's not turn the NFL into one long Mayo Clinic cancer promo.

My father died of cancer in 1983. Billions were raised before then and since then for cancer research, all amounting to little. It's about as effective as the war on drugs.

The National Cancer Institute has an annual budget of around $5 billion. The American Cancer Society raises close to a billion dollars a year, of which only some 60% actually goes into research. That leaves a lot left over for informational campaigns, should they choose to do so.

And most people are aware of the risks of not having regular medical checkups. It's a personal choice issue, not particularly an ignorance issue at this point.

Bill Bixby, Robert Frost, Alec Guinness, Langston Hughes, Timothy Leary, Jerry Orbach, Linus Pauling, Johnny Ramone, Telly Savalas, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Earl Woods and Frank Zappa all died from prostrate cancer.

Harry Belafonte, Robert De Niro, Bob Dole, Rudy Giuliani, Robert Goulet, John Kerry, Colin Powell are all high profile survivors.

Sorry for your recent discovery, but this isn't news and endless high profile awareness campaigns are simply going to have people hitting the mute button on all of them.

[Larry Colucci]

12:43 PM on 11/14/2010

It's not too much to ask for a few minutes at the start of one game in September to give a little prerss to prostate cancer. MLB does it for fatherKs day and gets no complaints. Sorry if youKve hit the mute button, but many of the rest of us would apprecieate some high level awareness, because for the most part to this ponit its been non-existant.

PS you could benefit from an awareness campaign, as you knowledge of the benefits of recent research is somewhat lacking.

[filmex]

11:45 AM on 11/15/2010

The reason the Breast Cancer awareness campaign has been effective has been the contrast--a women's cancer awareness project promoted during the most male of sports. It has given male fans, players and owners a chance to relate with their mothers, wives and daughters.

If you start promoting every type of cancer, where does it end? Colon-rectal and lung cancers are just as prominent as prostrate cancer. What color shoes do you have them wearing to promote colon cancer awareness? The NFL is currently involved in the childhood physical activity campaign...the NFL can't solve all the worlds problems and will dilute the effectiveness of their brand trying to do too much.

As for the mute button, ask any advertising executive of what happens to public interest when there is a telethon every week, instead of every year.

And while certain cancer deaths are declining, for most it is the same old story, with genetics playing a bigger factor than any revelatory research discoveries. Most of the discoveries these days have to do with refuting an earlier treatment announcement. You only have to look at prostrate cancer to see that the treatment and surgeries highly recommended five years ago, are determined now to be ineffective and even dangerous.

Billions are spent every year with the result of much of it the equivalent of bad food science..."eggs are bad for you...no, wait a minute, they're not".

[farmilyman]

06:36 AM on 11/13/2010

Why can't we just watch football without thinking of a disease?

[Gabe Canales]

11:52 AM on 11/13/2010

When watching football on television, you could raise the same objection with advertising or stadium signage? You could say the same, 'Why can't we just watch football without thinking of Nike, Bud, etc...' Sure, those advertising dollars allow you to watch the game but the goal is to influence your purchasing decisions...and it works.

The NFL supports national causes and in each market, teams engage in community outreach. It works both ways; its raises awareness and money towards causes and it's good business for the NFL.

Please feel free to join me on facebook with other advocates, researchers and survivors.
http://www.facebook.com/BeatProstateCancer

[Angel R1240]

07:17 PM on 11/12/2010

Great idea and great article the NFL should adopt this idea for next season just my opinion though.

[Gabe Canales]

11:31 AM on 11/13/2010

Thank you, appreciate the feedback. Please feel free to join me on facebook with other advocates, researchers and survivors. http://www.facebook.com/BeatProstateCancer

[frank day]

03:14 PM on 11/12/2010

Great article.

Great idea.

[Gabe Canales]

11:32 AM on 11/13/2010

Thank you, appreciate the feedback. Please feel free to join me on facebook with other advocates, researchers and survivors. http://www.facebook.com/BeatProstateCancer

[Kristen Houghton]

12:41 PM on 11/12/2010

Great article Gabe; I applaud you! One reason that many men don't get checked is the fact that they are afraid of is not being able to get and maintain an erection after surgery. This simply isn't true. While the recovery period can last from one year to 18 months, the majority of men can and will resume a normal sex life. Please get that message out too. I wish you health and a long life Gabe. Bless you for this article.

[Gabe Canales]

11:35 AM on 11/13/2010

Thank you Kristen, I appreciate your encouragement and support. I agree, that fear needs to be discussed and us guys need to educate ourselves with the facts. Perhaps that's something I'll explore in an upcoming piece.

Please feel free to join me on facebook with other advocates, researchers and survivors. http://www.facebook.com/BeatProstateCancer

Have a great weekend!

Gabe

[April Pells]

11:18 AM on 11/12/2010

More should be done in the realm of cancer. Period.

[Gabe Canales]

11:37 AM on 11/13/2010

I agree with you April. Sadly there are some who don't give a damn till it happens to them or a loved one. I was one of those people. However now I want to make up for that, raise awareness and make a difference.

Please feel free to join me on facebook with other advocates, researchers and survivors. http://www .facebook. com/BeatPr ostateCanc er

[bradley996]

11:08 AM on 11/12/2010

Gabe, another great article!

How many former NFL players, coaches and executives have been diagnosed with PCa? How many have succomb to the disease? Lamar Hunt, the founder of the AFL and one time owner of the Kansas City Chiefs is probably one of the most prominent people to have died of Prostate Cancer.

It's time for the NFL to stop ignoring us, September 2011 had better be a sea of blue throughout the league!