Men need help with cancer awareness too
I don’t think we should be raising awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
I don’t believe that, but no matter what I do, some people are going to think that is the point of this column. (As such, I really should know better than to write this.) So, just to stress again, that’s not my point — well, not really. Oh boy. Just read on, it’ll all make sense eventually.
Here goes: The NFL should ditch all the pink breast cancer awareness stuff every October.
(Whoa, whoa! Where did you all get pitchforks and torches so quickly?)
Hear me out, huh? I’m not saying anything bad about raising awareness of breast cancer prevention and research.
In fact, I strongly believe that advocating for women to screen themselves for breast cancer and think seeking donations for research is absolutely a great thing. It’s just when it comes to the NFL, pushing breast cancer awareness means the league is missing an even more important opportunity.
So here’s my point: Instead of telling its fans to “Think Pink,” the NFL should push fans to “Think Brown.” Simply put, the NFL would be better serving the public interest if it focused its efforts on promoting awareness of colon or prostate cancer, rather than breast cancer.
(Let me repeat: In no way am I saying that we should not raise awareness of breast cancer. Of course, someone will flood my inbox to accuse me of doing so no matter how much I protest. See the opening of this column.)
Let’s look at the numbers, starting with the most obvious: More men than women watch football. (Surprising, I know!) According to numbers from Dish Network, 69 percent of NFL viewers are male. The publication Sports Business Journal Daily pegs the number of males at 60.2 percent.
While it’s possible for men to get breast cancer — one percent of all breast cancer cases are male — I’m not sure many will argue that the pink campaign is geared toward the guys. So the big push is lost on the majority of eyeballs tuning in every week. (Yes, men can encourage the women in their life to get an annual screening, but that doesn’t make men the target of the campaign.)
But do you know what does kill men? Colon cancer and prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in men, after lung cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
It’s not rare either; estimates for 2010 anticipated about 32,000 men would die from the disease. (For the same year, the estimated number of deaths from breast cancer was nearly 40,000.)
In fact, 20 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. (Experts think the actual number of cases is higher, as many cases go undiagnosed.)
And then there’s colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, which affects both men and women (men slightly more so).
It is the second deadliest cancer overall and kills about 10,000 more people each year than breast cancer, according to the NCI.
And in both cases, early detection is incredibly important, just as with breast cancer. But unlike breast cancer, there’s no national marketing campaign toward getting men to go get colonoscopies or talking to their doctors about prostate cancer.
The Think Pink movement doesn’t need the NFL to be successful because the Think Pink movement is way bigger than the NFL.
Instead the NFL could go a long way toward increasing the awareness of these two deadly cancers. So why isn’t the NFL pushing that message?
Let’s face it, I don’t imagine that brown-themed gear will pop as much on television as the bright pink stuff does. And it’s more fun to talk about anything than it is to talk about the, uh, delicate nature of a colonoscopy. But you know what?
We need to talk about it anyway. The fathers and grandfathers that make up the viewing audience at NFL games need to know how important a regular screening can be.
Colon cancer, particularly, does not usually result in symptoms until the cancer has advanced. That’s why the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggests everyone — men and women — ages 50 to 75 undergo routine screening. Doing so could prevent 60 percent of colon cancer deaths, the Centers for Disease Control estimates. (60 percent!)
There’s not the same consensus on screening for prostate cancer, but studies do show that early and accurate diagnosis makes a big difference.
The American Cancer Society suggests that men over 50 should talk to their doctor about the risks of the cancer and whether or not to test for it. Either way, we need to get men talking about it.
Which is why while there’s nothing wrong with thinking pink, the NFL could make a real difference by putting the emphasis on the cancers that are killing their fans — and raising awareness of the importance of screenings.
Dad, if you read this, you’re over 50 and so you know what to do. I’d like it if you stuck around for a while. Brandon Szuminsky can be reached at bszuminsky@heraldstandard.com.