As a cancer survivor I feel that I am in a position where I can make comment on the increase in games being played for breast cancer. Now I have absolutely no problem with this and feel it is a very worthy cause, however…
A great deal of the sports that are getting behind the breast cancer cause are male sports. Why are we not getting behind causes such as testicular cancer – of which I have first-hand knowledge – or prostate cancer? Two forms of cancer that effect men, and see a very high death toll due to men not being checked or going to a doctor when the early symptoms kick in.
Women are far more aware of breast cancer now than they were five years ago, it is time that men caught up, and the only way we will do that is by raising awareness and that can be done by having games for Prostate Cancer or Testicular Cancer.
This weekend the Perth Glory take on Gold Coast United and it is in aid of breast cancer awareness. Why are we not focussing on men’s cancers? After all famous survivors of testicular cancer in football alone include Bobby Moore, England’s World Cup winning captain and our own Craig Moore.
It is a well known fact that these tactics are called “Cause marketing” and the ultimate aim is, in most cases, not to help the cause but to benefit the product being linked to the cause.
It is my belief, as a cancer survivor, that men’s sport has to do more to support their own sex and make sure that less die unnecessarily due to ignorance. I live in hope that the people making the marketing decisions start thinking the same way.
