DM — The NFL’s involvement in Breast Cancer Awareness month has come under fire after claims the league is profiting from the cause. Players have been wearing pink caps, shirts, elbow pads, and boots and flashes of the color have adorned towels and parts of the field throughout October across the U.S. Fans can buy pink items from the National Football League shop, or bid in auctions for products seen during games. The proceeds ostensibly go to help support the fight against breast cancer, but critics now allege that most of the cash ends up in the pockets of NFL owners. The website tells fans they can ‘support the fight against breast cancer with pink NFL breast cancer awareness gear.’ However, Business Week discovered that only 5 per cent of the sales are being donated to the American Cancer Society. If the products have a typical 100 per cent mark-up at retail point, that means the NFL is keeping 90 per cent of the profit from the sale of the items.

I know I’m not alone when I say that since it’s inception the whole NFL Pink thing has really gotten my goat. First of all I think raising “awareness” for breast cancer is moronic, we all know what it is. And dressing behemoth men up in pink just looks ridiculous. If the NFL wanted to do it for a week that would be one thing, an entire month is just asinine. But now it all makes sense. It’s a money grab, the NFL’s M.O. Of course they want to stop breast cancer, as long as it promotes the bottom line. Just like they care about player safety, as long as they play 18 games. And just like they care about a topnotch product, as long as the referees don’t make too much. It’s actually getting to the point where I don’t see how Roger Goodell can keep his job. For the last year he’s provided us with nothing but a series of idiotic and wildly unpopular decisions. I know the owners are his boss and he takes his orders from them, but he’s the face of the corporate side of the league. And for someone who always preaches about representing “the Shield” he has done nothing but look like a buffoon for a while now.