Picture of Oregon's pink helmet to be worn this weekend

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I typically hate all Oregon apparel...but gotta love and support breast cancer awareness month. These will really stand out!
 

GopherLady said:
I typically hate all Oregon apparel...but gotta love and support breast cancer awareness month. These will really stand out!
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Yeah, that shade would certainly fit the definition of a 'hot pink'.

But kudos to them. I'm glad they're supporting such a worthwhile cause, and hopefully doing a much better job of that (so far as benefiting proceeds go) than the NFL apparently has.
 

Whatever you want to say about Knight- he backs his causes with a ton of resources. He just made a $500 Million donation to the Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Center (contingent on matching funds). Where's all the donations to the U from the frequently touted local Fortune 500 companies and their executives?
 

It's horrible. It couldn't be uglier.

I hate cancer and I love boobs even more than most men, but I do not like this pink helmet, Sam I am.
 


everybody knows my name said:
It's horrible. It couldn't be uglier.

I hate cancer and I love boobs even more than most men, but I do not like this pink helmet, Sam I am.
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I can get on board with token items on a uniform like Gloves, towels, etc. But don't do helmets.

I would also rather see a more deadly cancer/disease (lung cancer, heart disease) done with this, but that doesn't sell as well because you can't talk about boobs and girl power. I'm not saying breast cancer isn't a worthy cause, but it would be nice to spend a season using the platform to raise awareness about another disease that doesn't get as much pub.
 

Does anyone else feel like wearing pink is wearing thin? We're all aware breast cancer exists. Seems like just a way to peddle more apparel IMO. A recent study revealed that of the money from "pink" sales, only about 10% goes to ACS. The rest goes to the teams, NFL & manufacturer. Kind of a scam if you ask me.
 

Ski U Master said:
I would also rather see a more deadly cancer/disease (lung cancer, heart disease) done with this, but that doesn't sell as well because you can't talk about boobs and girl power. I'm not saying breast cancer isn't a worthy cause, but it would be nice to spend a season using the platform to raise awareness about another disease that doesn't get as much pub.
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Well, what exactly do you want? Should we resurrect the Black Plague, in order that be a worthy enough disease?

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in America, while within that sad realm, breast cancer remains the second leading cause of death within women in the United States, statistics courtesy of the CDC.

And I contend it's only fricken morons, jack-knobs, and the terminally immature who can minimize and conflate such deadly disease into being nothing more than about 'boobs and girl power', and how that exemplifies not only heartlessness but absolute and bloody idiocy.
 

Seany said:
Well, what exactly do you want? Should we resurrect the Black Plague, in order that be a worthy enough disease?

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in America, while within that sad realm, breast cancer remains the second leading cause of death within women in the United States, statistics courtesy of the CDC.

And I contend it's only fricken morons, jack-knobs, and the terminally immature who can minimize and conflate such deadly disease into being nothing more than about 'boobs and girl power', and how that exemplifies not only heartlessness but absolute and bloody idiocy.
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Do you still wear yellow during Daffodil Days? There's a reason the ACS is discontinuing that event. Pink is sexy. I'm assuming you've done Relay for Life or Susan G Komen? Those events are silly with boob puns.
 



GopherLady said:
I typically hate all Oregon apparel...but gotta love and support breast cancer awareness month. These will really stand out!
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I'm the opposite. I love everything Oregon's done but hate these.
 

Nokomis said:
Do you still wear yellow during Daffodil Days? There's a reason the ACS is discontinuing that event. Pink is sexy. I'm assuming you've done Relay for Life or Susan G Komen? Those events are silly with boob puns.
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No, I don't wear yellow, never have, and don't actually do crap.

But what I do know is that I watched my mother die as just a young boy, 11 years old, and how that cancer first took one breast, and then the other, the death of the teats upon which I used to feed, and how that cancer spread, and how she became so very, very sick, and how I sat as a boy so broken-hearted, and watched her wither and die before my face, my Mom, and how that particular form of sorrow is all I know, and all I need to know.
 

Nokomis said:
Does anyone else feel like wearing pink is wearing thin? We're all aware breast cancer exists. Seems like just a way to peddle more apparel IMO. A recent study revealed that of the money from "pink" sales, only about 10% goes to ACS. The rest goes to the teams, NFL & manufacturer. Kind of a scam if you ask me.
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I agree with you on this one. The cause is great and the sentiment behind it is great but it is beginning to feel like more of a commercial gimmick as opposed to a way to raise awareness of breast cancer. On flip side I read somewhere that 25 of these helmets are going to be signed by Oregon greats and auctioned off with the proceeds going to breast cancer research I believe which would be a good thing.

The NFL story is more troubling with only 10% or so of the profit actually going to support cancer research.
 




I like that Seany writes like an old-timey literary aficionado.
 


Seany said:
Well, what exactly do you want? Should we resurrect the Black Plague, in order that be a worthy enough disease?

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in America, while within that sad realm, breast cancer remains the second leading cause of death within women in the United States, statistics courtesy of the CDC.

And I contend it's only fricken morons, jack-knobs, and the terminally immature who can minimize and conflate such deadly disease into being nothing more than about 'boobs and girl power', and how that exemplifies not only heartlessness but absolute and bloody idiocy.
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I never said it wasn't an important disease or that it isn't worthy of events and coverage, I would just like to see the NFL/NCAA use their ridiculous reach for another disease at some point, however it is undeniable that other diseases aren't as marketable as BC due to the reasons I suggested (which were overly simplified, but I think the point is still valid). It's not an insult to women or to those with breast cancer to observe the reasons that it is such an easy cause to garner support for. I would love to see a season devoted to heart disease awareness, but it just isn't as marketable (plus it's hard to put adds for chips and chili next to a game devoted to heart disease awareness ;))
 

First of all, Seany, I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. I have had several people very close to me affected by breast cancer but I can't even imagine dealing with what you did, especially at that age.

I almost started a thread about this on the off-topic board but I know it can touch a nerve with so many. Breast cancer awareness is a great thing. It's a horrible disease that affects many. With that said, this is getting out of control. The message is being lost.

Like I said, it is a horrible disease, yet it is being portrayed as something that is positive. As Seany described, the whole experience is terrible. My brother in law lost his wife two years ago and it was awful to see his wife go through the process. We now hear all the time terms like "Pink warrior" and "she won the battle". Does that mean that those who have passed are not "warriors" or didn't work hard enough to "beat" cancer? Those that "lose the battle" are pretty much forgotten in the whole message.

Businesses are jumping on board left and right, not to give back to their community, but to make more money. And this is the best cause to be a part of because it's pink and sexy.

Where is the money going and what has it done? No one asks these questions for some reason. I think we have the right to know this. All these organizations are happy to tell everyone how much money has been donated for research, but why don't they tell us exactly what has happened because of the research?

And there is a reason why almost all of the money that makes it to research goes to researching treatments after someone has breast cancer instead of prevention. When pharmaceutical companies are involved, what kind of research do you think helps their business the most? And there have been many regular products such as cosmetics that have been linked to breast cancer. Why do you think companies like Avon play such a big part in the pink movement?

Again, I know this is a very controversial subject. These organizations do some good. I just think we should be asking a lot more questions than we are and shouldn't forget what the real message should be. I would recommend watching the documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc. They bring up some interesting topics, some of which I have already touched on.

Edit: Sorry if this is getting way off topic. Mods, feel free to move this thread to off topic if you feel it should.
 

It's a good thing to raise funds to fight breast cancer, but if the mission is raising awareness of breast cancer, that has been accomplished. Perhaps some of the awareness efforts could be redirected. In the US, there are about 232,000 new cases of breast cancer each year, and about 39,000 deaths. There are about 45,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer, and about 38,000 deaths. Despite it being about 5 times less prevalent, pancreatic cancer kills nearly as many people as does breast cancer. There are about 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer, and about 14,000 deaths. There are about 140,000 new cases of colon and rectal cancer, and about 50,000 deaths.

Everyone knows that the pink ribbon is a symbol of breast cancer awareness. The blue ribbon is the symbol for colon cancer, the teal ribbon for ovarian cancer, purple for pancreatic cancer, periwinkle for esophageal cancer. I wasn't aware of these other awareness ribbons. Breast cancer used to be something that just wasn't talked about, and the awareness campaign changed it, and that's a good thing. It's raised a lot of money for research, and saved a lot of lives by getting women to see the doctor.
 

The pink helmets are being worn and auctioned off. That $, according to the article, will go to the Kate Yow Cancer Fund.

Kate Yow's fund isn't designed specifically for breast cancer. It is for all types of women's cancers (eg. Ovarian).

http://kayyow.com/the-fund/where-the-money-goes/

The Goal is to raise money, not awareness IMO. I applaud the efforts of Oregon football, other organizations, and my fellow Gopherholers for all they do in raising money to fight all types of cancer.


Buck
 

Ski U Master said:
I can get on board with token items on a uniform like Gloves, towels, etc. But don't do helmets.

I would also rather see a more deadly cancer/disease (lung cancer, heart disease) done with this, but that doesn't sell as well because you can't talk about boobs and girl power. I'm not saying breast cancer isn't a worthy cause, but it would be nice to spend a season using the platform to raise awareness about another disease that doesn't get as much pub.
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I agree with this. I would like to see more money and awareness going to diseases such as congestive heart failure and pancreatic cancer, two diseases that are much more deadly than breast cancer.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I agree with you on this one. The cause is great and the sentiment behind it is great but it is beginning to feel like more of a commercial gimmick as opposed to a way to raise awareness of breast cancer. On flip side I read somewhere that 25 of these helmets are going to be signed by Oregon greats and auctioned off with the proceeds going to breast cancer research I believe which would be a good thing.

The NFL story is more troubling with only 10% or so of the profit actually going to support cancer research.
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Totally agree. I'm getting a little tired of 'pink' crap and Susan Komen. I know that the various national retailers, sports leagues, and multi-national corporations would be surprised to learn this, but there are actually other deadly diseases besides breast cancer! I've heard a suggestion that perhaps given their wild success, the whole breast cancer movement should simply become the cancer movement and start directing some funding to other diseases which kill far more people.
 

tato2001 said:
Totally agree. I'm getting a little tired of 'pink' crap and Susan Komen. I know that the various national retailers, sports leagues, and multi-national corporations would be surprised to learn this, but there are actually other deadly diseases besides breast cancer! I've heard a suggestion that perhaps given their wild success, the whole breast cancer movement should simply become the cancer movement and start directing some funding to other diseases which kill far more people.
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Two weeks ago, The Alzheimer's Association sponsored a Memory Walk in our community and raised about $15,000. According to the people that run our local Alzheimer's support groups and adult day care centers, NONE of that money was distributed locally. This is the pattern with many national "charities".

Wouldn't it be great if the U athletic department would sponsor an epilepsy fundraiser with ALL (and I mean ALL) the proceeds going to the University of Minnesota epilepsy clinic?
 

I'm ok with it. For guys it's the dreaded prostate cancer. For women, breast cancer. BTW, if you're in your 40's guys start getting a PSA check ( for prostate cancer ) when you take a physical. 50 % of males at one point in their lives will have prostate problems ( BPH ) I had a good buddy pass away from prostate cancer at age 69. He never wanted to get blood work done because he hated needles. He started having problems going and having to empty his bladder several times a day. Went in and they did a PSA and it was 640. Normal range is 0-4.0. The cancer was already in his bones. He fought it for 18 months and it wasn't pretty
 

maroon and gold said:
Two weeks ago, The Alzheimer's Association sponsored a Memory Walk in our community and raised about $15,000. According to the people that run our local Alzheimer's support groups and adult day care centers, NONE of that money was distributed locally. This is the pattern with many national "charities".

Wouldn't it be great if the U athletic department would sponsor an epilepsy fundraiser with ALL (and I mean ALL) the proceeds going to the University of Minnesota epilepsy clinic?
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I find myself supporting more local events/charities now than before because of this reason. Larger organizations generally have larger overhead costs.
 

Well, I do have to admit that the pink helmets are more appealing than Mr. Balls, aka 'Senhor Testiculo', who is seeking to raise awareness of testicular cancer research.

testicle10n-4-web.jpg
 

My thoughts on this: I liked the idea of football players, NFL, NCAA, and even local high schools wearing pink stuff for breast cancer awareness from the first time I saw it. I think it is a great idea. What I don't like is the fact it is done bit by bit for the entire month of October. Football outside of the NFL is a fairly short season with games pretty much all falling within 3 months. You are now taking 1/3 of the season or more and having every wayward team participating at different levels. The end result is the original idea is losing its steam because it appears so often. I think it would be much more impactful if the NCAA, NFL, and various state high school leagues joined together to name one weekend each October to break out the pink gear. If somebody has a bye, go ahead and wear it the next weekend but no more. I feel like it would make a much bigger impression if every damn team was doing it and it stuck out on a specific weekend than gradually appearing for an entire month.
 

My problem with the thing is simply that there are other equally (and perhaps MORE) worthwhile causes. More people die of colon and lung cancer than breast cancer. About the same number die of pancreatic cancer. And I'm ignoring non-cancer diseases. Why do the NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, Target, Walmart, etc. ad nauseum ignore those causes? (Quick: tell me what the NFL did for Colon cancer this year?)

I'll tell you why: because the whole 'pink' thing is a genius marketing tool that makes these institutions look good in a very visible sense. It's not because they actually 'care' (or else the other big killers would get similar treatment). This is great for breast-cancer fundraising (which is certainly a worthwhile cause), but it completely exposes the shallowness of the sponsor organizations.

It goes like this:

"hmm, should we do the pink breast cancer thing again this year?"

"Well, actually lots more people die of colon cancer, how 'bout we mix it up and rotate in something for colon cancer?"

"There's no colon cancer fundraising meme. I don't care if it kills more people, I want our logo in pink on newscasts!"
 

tato2001 said:
My problem with the thing is simply that there are other equally (and perhaps MORE) worthwhile causes. More people die of colon and lung cancer than breast cancer. About the same number die of pancreatic cancer. And I'm ignoring non-cancer diseases. Why do the NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, Target, Walmart, etc. ad nauseum ignore those causes? (Quick: tell me what the NFL did for Colon cancer this year?)

I'll tell you why: because the whole 'pink' thing is a genius marketing tool that makes these institutions look good in a very visible sense. It's not because they actually 'care' (or else the other big killers would get similar treatment). This is great for breast-cancer fundraising (which is certainly a worthwhile cause), but it completely exposes the shallowness of the sponsor organizations.

It goes like this:

"hmm, should we do the pink breast cancer thing again this year?"

"Well, actually lots more people die of colon cancer, how 'bout we mix it up and rotate in something for colon cancer?"

"There's no colon cancer fundraising meme. I don't care if it kills more people, I want our logo in pink on newscasts!"
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Agreed x10. I seem to remember some organization a couple years back (the AMA, maybe?) that had to publish a recommendation that women need to ease off on the self-exams because they're getting too many people flooding the offices on false alarms.

Breast cancer is a horrible disease, but how about we just focus on "cancer" instead? Or any of the other much more devastating diseases? There are actually some campaigns that could do a ton of good just by "raising awareness" i.e. obesity/heart disease. Raising awareness of breast cancer doesn't accomplish much of anything at this point. Everyone knows what it is and what to do about it. If I'm going to be beat over the head with a message, I'd rather it be something that might actually change people's health, like "get off your fat ass and exercise" "stop smoking" "don't give your baby Mountain Dew" or even "don't put marbles in your nose."
 

tato2001 said:
I'll tell you why: because the whole 'pink'
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Be careful there. SGK might sue you for using the word pink, or cure or using a ribbon. Heck they spend almost 15% of their donations on cancer research, so what else they gonna do with the money? Besides pay their CEO $700,000/year.

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Obligatory - Yes cancer is a horrible thing, I've also been personally touched by it. I'm glad this particular effort is going to Yow instead of SGK.
 

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