May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and MLS has teamed up with Neutrogena to encourage fans and players to protect themselves through the Neutrogena Choose Skin Health campaign. The partnership, which you can follow on social media with the #ChooseSkinHealth hashtag, aims to raise awareness of the risks of skin cancer, the most common form of cancer.
“On average more than 350 Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every hour even though it’s the most preventable form of cancer,” said Suzy DePrizio, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Group Brand Director, Neutrogena Suncare. “At Neutrogena it’s our dream to reduce the risk of skin cancer to the smallest number possible, zero. Through our campaign with Major League Soccer we hope to inform, inspire, and influence our fellow soccer community to start protecting themselves and their loved ones and help us make that dream become a reality.”
Soccer players, coaches, referees, and fans can find themselves in direct sunlight for more than 90 minutes at some games, adding up to an approximate 27,000 hours of direct exposure per season, making skin cancer awareness a critical issue to promote. So throughout the month of May, MLS venues will feature a number of reminders to everyone to protect themselves.
The partnership will prominently feature the color orange across the league and promote the Choose Skin Health campaign in-stadium during the entire month of May. Official MLS match balls will have a unique Choose Skin Health decal. Players will be provided with orange Choose Skin Health sweatbands and Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport sunscreen to wear on-field, and MLS ball kids will be outfitted in campaign T-shirts.
Fans can also learn more about the campaign, risks of skin cancer and ways to prevent it through special LED boards and a rally video played in-stadium and online.
On Sunday, May 15, Neutrogena will also recognize a child who has fought skin cancer, during the Sporting Kansas City vs. Orlando City SC match at Children’s Mercy Park. All game attendees will receive free sunscreen, too. This match will be broadcast live on ESPN at 3:30 pm ET and available on MLS LIVE.
