Oregon’s football team will show support for breast cancer awareness with its typical style and flamboyance. During Saturday’s game against Washington State, the No. 2 Ducks will wear pink helmets for the first time in team history. Players will also have pink gloves, shoes and socks to brightly contrast with an all-black uniform. Some of the Nike helmets will be auctioned off after the game, with all proceeds going to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, which honors the former N.C. State women’s basketball coach who died of breast cancer in 2009. The team will also auction off helmets signed by famous Oregon alums such as Ahmad Rashad, Joey Harrington, Dan Fouts and Nike founder Phil Knight.
I understand that breast cancer- indeed, ANY cancer- is a horrible thing. I live with a nurse practitioner who works in an oncology clinic. Trust me, I get it. Increasing awareness, and with it (hopefully) fund raising, is a good thing and should be lauded and supported. That said, CAN WE PLEASE LOSE THE UBIQUITOUS PINK?? It’s everywhere and it’s giving me a headache.
I can’t watch a football game- high school, college, or pro- these days without seeing pink shoes, pink gloves, pink…well, you get the point, right? I mean, have you SEEN the Green Bay Packers lately? It’s more than just a fashion faux pas; it borders on being a crime against humanity. And just when I’d begun to think the assault on my visual faculties couldn’t POSSIBLY be more distressing, it’s about to get worse. When Washington State comes to Autzen Stadium in Eugene to play the University of Oregon tonight, the Ducks will be- you guessed it- wearing pink- socks, gloves, shoes, and helmets. The rest of the Ducks’ ensemble will be black, so the assault on the senses will at least be slightly muted.
I have nothing against pink, but, like everything else, there’s a point where it becomes WAY too much of a good thing. That ship has long since sailed.
Man, I can’t wait until November, when we’ll (hopefully) return to something resembling normal. All this pink is giving me a migraine.
