The NFL has made a substantial commitment to supporting cancer research, and one if its most visible initiatives is the "Crucial Catch: Intercept Cancer" campaign. The league and the American Cancer Society have worked together for 13 seasons and the initiative returned in the 2021 season, starting with Week 4. The goal of this campaign is to promote early screening and detection of various types of cancer. The ongoing pandemic has led to drastic drops in cancer screenings, making the 2021 Crucial Catch campaign one of the most important ones in recent history.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on cancer screenings, with a screening decline that the ACS expects to lead to more late cancer diagnoses and increased cancer deaths in the future," Dr. Karen Knudsen, MBA, PhD, chief executive officer of ACS, said via a release from the NFL. "This year, it is critical to safely restart cancer screenings and to ensure that everyone has access to lifesaving screening. The strong, ongoing support of the NFL and Crucial Catch is invaluable to ACS's work to increase cancer screenings, especially in underserved communities that need them most."
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