Here's why the NFL's annual pink campaign does almost nothing to fight breast cancer

33 instances of "pinkwashing"

Pink boots 33 instances of "pinkwashing"

Pink boots Pink boots Photo: Thomas B. Shea, Getty Photo: Thomas B. Shea, Getty Image 1 of / 50 Caption Close Here's why the NFL's annual pink campaign does almost nothing to fight breast cancer 1 / 50 Back to Gallery

UPDATE: The Houston Texans responded with a statement to the story that's included below. The article also contains more links on the issues with screening mammograms.

All this month NFL fans will see pink on the football field for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Houston Texans’ most vibrant pink publicity will be on display for national audiences when the struggling team takes on the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday for Pink Ribbon Day.

So we’re here to remind you that the NFL’s “support” for fighting breast cancer at best amounts to a misguided effort. At worst, it could be considered a straight-up scam. The money raised by the league does not reach the places that need it most.

Advocacy group Breast Cancer Action has been fighting for more than a decade against pink through its “Think Before You Pink” campaign. They call what goes on each October “pinkwashing.” That’s when “a company or organization claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink product” and raising money for cancer charities.

See some of the most ridiculous items that turn pink in October in the above gallery.

But the same company sells products that are carcinogenic or cause other health problems. These pinkwashing deals are just exchanges for public goodwill, wrote Karauna Jaggar, head of Think Before You Pink, in an op-ed last year.

RELATED: ‘Pinkwashing’ lets Komen partner with cancer-causing companies

Recent examples include Susan G. Komen teaming up with oilfield services corporations, Baker Hughes or fried chicken purveyors KFC or makeup companies that sell products that contain carcinogens.

The NFL has its own perilous health issues that the league has attempted to cover up. And in fact, they toned down all the pink last year in what appeared to be an effort to avoid looking too hypocritical – after the league bungled several domestic violence cases involving players.

The issue with football’s self-congratulatory awareness month goes beyond pink pom-poms, pink penalty flags and pink cleats. Hardly any of the money raised during this month even reaches the American Cancer Society. But the criticism – many from breast cancer survivors – hasn't phased the NFL or many of its partners.

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Business Insider wrote in 2013 that just 8.01 percent of money from NFL Breast Cancer Awareness merchandise goes to research efforts. Even worse, VICE Sports reported last year that none of that money goes toward cancer research programs. A spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society told VICE the NFL donations go to awareness, education and screenings.

The Texans director of corporate communications wrote to the Chronicle on Tuesday, saying the team uses the campaign not only for community outreach (including providing free screenings to underserved communities) and fundraising, but also to recognize women.

"We feel it's a great opportunity to honor mothers, sisters, friends... and to celebrate women! We have received countless thank you's from fans who appreciate the Texans thinking of their loved ones, for supporting them and for giving them the change to have a distraction from being sick, even if only for a few hours on Sunday," the Texans spokewoman said.

It's an event designed to brighten the day of those women and their loved ones, according to the statement.

But other aspects of the NFL's pink push have more glaring issues, like mammography screenings. They aren't effective, according to Karuna Jagger, head of the Think Before You Pink campaign.

From VICE:

"Screening doesn't save lives and screening mammography ... is different from diagnostic mammography," Jagger says. "The NFL has no business providing medical advice to women that is outdated, unproven, and misguided."

Jagger quotes well-regarded and independently conducted research that shows screening mammography has no overall impact on survival rates of women with the disease.

RELATED: Medical breakthroughs that came from Houston

How frequently women should get mammograms and at what age is a strong issue of contention in the U.S. Multiple studies, including one this summer, said screening mammograms don't prevent deaths and could lead to "overdiagnosis." A study published Tuesday however did say early detection remains vital, and suggests mammograms could help with that.

The idea of an NFL breast cancer awareness seems baseless. If it wasn’t for the NFL, would you not have heard of breast cancer? Breast cancer still remains a devastating disease. However, spending money on awareness or unnecessary screenings doesn’t make the fight even easier. (Meanwhile, research has increased survival rates significantly since the 1970s).

Still, as the independent Charity Navigator points out, the NFL has more suitable options for fighting cancer and making donations. Here is list of the charities that do the most for battling breast cancer (Susan G. Komen is noticeably absent). Or the league could raise awareness for less publicized cancers that are as common as breast cancer and even more deadly like lung cancer or colorectal cancer.

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry. If the league wants to start giving away some of that wealth in a more efficient, those are some good ways to start.

For a look at some of the most ridiculous pinkwashing items, see the gallery above.