For the NFL, October has become synonymous with breast cancer awareness. In 2017, the league will for the first time since the program began adjust its focus.
During a Friday media briefing, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said that the league will have a broader cancer awareness platform in 2017, with other types of cancer getting attention. One of the goals will be to promote awareness of cancers that can be caught and treated with periodic screening.
The individual clubs also will have some discretion regarding the specific form of cancer on which they choose to focus. Though Lockhart didn’t say it, the change means that colors other than pink may be making their way into the uniforms of the various teams.
It’s a smart move. Plenty of cancers -- like colorectal and prostate -- can be detected early and cured. But fans need to be encouraged to get screened, and the broader focus will hopefully result in more lives being saved.
