Throughout the month of October, athletes wear pink to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Communities across the world are able to unite around sports because of the emotions it can evoke. On top of the action that fans love to enjoy, athletes also have to serve a different role in their community. Due to their notoriety, large or small, athletes of all ages are called upon to represent causes and raise money for foundations.
The tradition of wearing pink comes with a high level of engagement from athletes of all ages. Children playing in youth sports are decked out in pink the same way professional athletes do throughout October. Keene High School’s Athletic Director Michael Atkins said he takes pride in the school’s activeness in showing its support for an important cause.
“Our local constituencies have done a good job making our community more aware and our students have jumped on board. I think they realize it’s an important issue and one that they can have an impact on at the local level, which they feel empowered to do,” Atkins said.
On top of wearing pink to show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness, athletes at Keene High School take part in a “Play For The Cure” game. The athletic teams wear an entirely new pink jersey and play for a loved one who struggles with cancer of any kind. Donations are accepted as a part of the event and that money is given to resources that help the fight against Breast Cancer.
At the college level, Keene State has also taken part in showing its support for Breast Cancer awareness in October. The Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving team wore pink swim caps in their most recent meet at Gordon College. Even the Zorn Dining Commons has celebrated by giving out pink colored candy. People all over the community, especially athletes, use their spotlight to represent causes of any kind.
“I put it to all our coaches and teams to be involved in the community. Athletics are so visible to the community and it’s a platform that we have to take advantage of to make the public aware of these different issues,” Atkins commented, “We receive so much support from the community physically, emotionally, and financially so it’s important for our kids to learn to give back.”
As October comes to a close the athletic world moves on to showing its support for other causes. Wearing pink throughout the month over countless years has been a wholesome gesture for athletes. Whether it is raising money or just simply awareness, athletes use their platforms to show their support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
jesnscoe@kscequinox.com
