I don't think it has a bit of "trying to pander to female fans". I think it is an issue that all sports have taken to heart and supported (baseball started it with I believe the pink bat weekend).
The facts are that breast cancer has a high cure rate if caught early. That is the big point. OF all cancers, it is very survivable if caught right away. That is why they want to start the mammograms at 40. Add to that, I have yet to meet a person in my 39 years that hasn't been personally impacted by breast cancer. When the issue comes up (as we raise money for leukemia and lymphoma since my dad had it and my best friend from teaching is a survivor and had two bouts by the time she was 25). It is just a matter of talking about it. Once we start talking, the discussion quickly turns to somebody who has had it.
The biggest issue with the awareness is that the NFL's main market (age wise) is right in the wheelhouse for those who need to be educated and get their wives, girlfriends, moms, or themselves out to get mammograms (40+, or less if the family history says so).
The NFL has found a way to pool their resources and create a massive awareness campaign and on top of that a giant fundraiser by selling off game used memorabilia in pink (which brings in tons of money for research and treatment) and it creates another line of merchandise for them to sell, which is good for the league.
The NFL's support of the issue did another great thing and got people to start looking at the books of the Susan G. Komen foundation (sorry if the spelling was wrong) and people realized how little of their funding was actually going towards research. It was embarrassingly little. So just the awareness that was created by the NFL getting involved basically forced that charity to up the ante, and also got other companies involved who have promised a much higher rate of investment into research and direct help like in paying for early screenings and the like (Avon is one example that has stepped up big this year and put their money directly into research rather than sending it off to another company that pays a board in the 6 figures and has to relabel themselves as an "awareness organization" essentially due to their poor record on actual spending.
I could care less if the NFL went 100% pink including the turf on the field. Breast cancer kills people. It does it fast and it takes away way too many moms, sisters, aunts, wives, daughters, teachers, friends, etc. etc. If it is caught it can be treated and those lives can be saved! Just like prostate cancer. But it has to be caught. If the biggest TV show (in numbers of total viewership for all shows/games weekly) in the nation can remind people to get checked and promised a chunk of the money they make to find a cure for all of those moms, sisters, wives, daughters, friends, etc. that we love then I say awesome for them. I never saw the cast of Jersey Shore offering up a percentage of what they make for research for an awful disease that kills people every minute. I did hear them gripe about not making enough per episode and saying they were going on strike. Same with the case of Friends and a lot of other shows that have high visibility. In this one case the NFL is walking the walk and I applaud them for doing so. They make plenty of dumb mistakes. Why not give them a pat on the back when they go out of their way to earn one and deserve it? How this can be an issue of contention and complaint towards the league seems really nitpicky at best.
