The NFL has a long history of supporting the American Cancer Society, and advocating for preventative screenings, through its Crucial Catch program, which was launched in 2009. Now, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is also getting in on the action, thanks to a new partnership with Lucid Diagnostics, the pharma brand behind the EsoGuard esophageal cancer screening test.
Image source: EsoGuard
If you’re like us, you probably didn’t know that esophageal cancer claims around 16,000 lives every year, which is exactly what this collab is hoping to change. If you're even more like us, you might also be wondering…why did Lucid decide to partner with the NFL over another league?
The connection came from former Bengals player Solomon Wilcots, who now leads the sports-health division of a NY-based PR agency. He realized that many former players and fans share a lot of common risk factors for esophageal cancer — being a man over 50, a history of smoking, and central obesity — and saw an opportunity to create a powerful, proactive campaign for player and community well-being.
Lucid Diagnostics and the NFLPA have already kicked off their collaboration with educational and testing events for former players in cities like Cincinnati, Detroit, Tampa, and Dallas-Fort Worth. But how else could they “Level Up” the conversation, and the frequency of preventative screenings?
You know what’s next — ideas.
❤️🔥 THE HEARTBURN HUDDLE
To expand the initiative’s in-person reach beyond former players, and drive awareness of heartburn as the leading symptom of esophageal cancer, the NFLPA and Lucid Diagnostics could host co-branded, free “Heartburn Huddle” screening events for fans, on game-days in NFL cities throughout the season… potentially even with backing from another related heartburn brand, like Tums, Alka-Seltzer, or Pepcid AC.
Former players from each local team could be on-site at local sports bars, or specially-planned watch parties, to share their personal experiences with cancer screenings before kickoff. Then, throughout the day, fans could get free, non-invasive screenings, watch the game together on a big screen, and have a chance to meet their heroes — stealthily turning hometown fandom into proactive health.
Image generated by AI
🔬THE “NEXT PLAY INNOVATION GRANT”
As a diagnostics company, we have to imagine that one of Lucid’s branding goals is to amplify their presence as a leader in medical innovation. So what if they partnered with the NFLPA to create an annual "The Next Play" Innovation Grant?
The grant would be awarded to a promising medical student, small medtech startup, or even a social-work candidate focused on improving access to cancer detection or prevention in underserved communities. The winner(s) could be publicly celebrated at a major NFLPA (or mainstream NFL) event, and receive funding and mentorship from Lucid Diagnostics and/or NFL community partners. Both brands would get credit for advancing for life-saving innovation, and fans everywhere would benefit from even more ways to protect their health.
Image generated by AI
🏈 THE “BATTLE BUDDY” PROGRAM
The NFLPA and Lucid Diagnostics could partner with EC Aware, a nonprofit whose mission is to “support those affected by esophageal cancer and promote awareness of esophageal health,” to launch the “Battle Buddy” program — an initiative where former NFL players are paired with patients navigating diagnoses, or treatment, to provide crucial emotional and mental support.
Former NFL players, who know what it means to be a teammate and face tough challenges, are the perfect fit for this kind of motivational mission. And for Lucid, associating their brand not just with prevention but also with support can go a long way toward building trust and advocacy.
You guessed it…this image was also generated by AI
We’ve got a few sillier ideas up our sleeves, too – like launching a TikTok challenge to see how many football fans can pronounce or spell “esophageal” correctly (that soft G gets us every time) — but we’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
Needless to say, there are always more ways to Level-Up great brand partnerships. And we’re here for all of ‘em.
