Breast Cancer Awareness in Football. Think Pink

I've wondered this several times myself. I think its just that err'body loves tittays.

I personally think Prostate cancer needs more support. I think a big starfish symbol would work brilliantly.

Just pondering. Theres enough post about Will Muschamp. Ya know?

Your stats are way off. Breast cancer affects about 1 in 8 American women. Think about it (1 in 8).Gastric cancer is relatively rare, except for in Japan. Testicular cancer is not common and no where near the incidence in our population of breast cancer.

Youre right on your stats and I apoligize. I can admit when im wrong. 1-8 in women. 1-270 in males for both cancers.

look for Figure 3.

But in a male to female ratio the most common cancers are obviously,

Males- testicular
Women- Breast

The thing about the whole breast cancer awareness drive is that it originated in a time where womens' health issues were given severely short shrift. They weren't being ignored as such, but most tests and studies involved mostly male participants with diseases that affected males more than females. So it's hard to begrudge breast cancer activists, especially since the topic was such a culturally sensitive one (it's hard for younger people to believe now, but there was a time when people just Did Not Discuss such topics, which meant women weren't getting screened or educated on it.) Obviously things have improved enormously since then, but what do you expect breast cancer awareness organizations to do? Pack it in and stop spreading the message because they've had success? And women are still dying from undetected breast cancer all the time.

As far as I'm concerned, kudos to them for learning savvy marketing. The relative lack of publicity about other cancers isn't their fault -- they had a purpose and didn't allow themselves to be diverted. Someone should ape their model and do the same with their own cause (like the testicular cancer you advocate for.) People have done it for AIDS, for heart disease, for various ailments related to smoking, etc. It's not a zero-sum game. If you're thinking that there's only so much money to be spread around, well, yeah. But none of this is really going to find a cure with donations. These causes are more about raising awareness and encouraging people to catch the problem early. No 5K race or pink ribbon is going to contribute to finding a cure, regardless of what well-intentioned participants think. The donations rarely find their way into the hands of the actual scientists working on the problem. Most of them are used to continue the program or funneled into prevention rather than the cure (and the whole bit about of prevention = pound of cure has lots of truth to it.) And that's not a zero sum game.

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It's all about being PC and the Susan G Koman fund, they're corrupt as hell.

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I do so love it when people are dying and what other people are most concerned with is trying to shame them for being "PC" when they spread the word. It makes me feel properly ashamed that my last girlfriend died from breast cancer because she didn't get screened in time.

In other words, kindly go frick yourself.

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What an outstanding response. I thank you. I cannot find the link but, I've read somewhere that only 20% of donations to Susan G komen, actually to research. The CEO of the organization makes over $600,000 annually. I do believe in some organizations. I highly recommend the Wounded Warrior foundation. Im sure that the CEO of the organzation makes 6 figures as well but, I can honestly say, ive seen the good that the WW does. Be it, Houses built for disabled veterans, college programs, or family care plans for the wounded or deceased.

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Marketing it as research money is a problem, and, yes, a little disingenuous. They're hitting the part that makes the best soundbite -- "Race for the Cure" sounds a lot more compelling than "Race for the Pamphlets and Marketing" -- but it's definitely a little misleading. But that's the case with pretty much every disease-related foundation. You don't see the American Heart Association curing heart disease, but you sure see a lot of commercials about it.

Wounded Warrior is, by all accounts I've heard, a good organization. The best way to check up on these things is Charity Navigator, which does the hard work of tracking down solid numbers for each charity.

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The thing about the whole breast cancer awareness drive is that it originated in a time where womens' health issues were given severely short shrift. They weren't being ignored as such, but most tests and studies involved mostly male participants with diseases that affected males more than females. So it's hard to begrudge breast cancer activists, especially since the topic was such a culturally sensitive one (it's hard for younger people to believe now, but there was a time when people just Did Not Discuss such topics, which meant women weren't getting screened or educated on it.) Obviously things have improved enormously since then, but what do you expect breast cancer awareness organizations to do? Pack it in and stop spreading the message because they've had success? And women are still dying from undetected breast cancer all the time.

As far as I'm concerned, kudos to them for learning savvy marketing. The relative lack of publicity about other cancers isn't their fault -- they had a purpose and didn't allow themselves to be diverted. Someone should ape their model and do the same with their own cause (like the testicular cancer you advocate for.) People have done it for AIDS, for heart disease, for various ailments related to smoking, etc. It's not a zero-sum game. If you're thinking that there's only so much money to be spread around, well, yeah. But none of this is really going to find a cure with donations. These causes are more about raising awareness and encouraging people to catch the problem early. No 5K race or pink ribbon is going to contribute to finding a cure, regardless of what well-intentioned participants think. The donations rarely find their way into the hands of the actual scientists working on the problem. Most of them are used to continue the program or funneled into prevention rather than the cure (and the whole bit about of prevention = pound of cure has lots of truth to it.) And that's not a zero sum game.

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I have nothing further to add. randomways knocked it out of the park.