In the NFL, more pink brings a nod Just when you thought the NFL could not turn any pinker, little Dante Cano spoke up. The New Jersey fifth-grader sent a letter to league headquarters with a recommendation to expand upon the Breast Cancer Awareness month that paints football in hues of Pepto-Bismol each fall. "I wanted to know if you could use my idea of pink penalty flags," Cano suggested. Please write back. This Sunday, when the Miami Dolphins face the New York Jets, the referees will signal clipping and pass interference in a decidedly more colorful way. Consider it the latest step in an annual campaign that has grown bigger than anyone envisioned, multiplying in increments of pink shoes and wristbands, towels and caps, even the padding on goal posts. "When we started, we were worried that our players would think it's too feminine," said Mark Waller, the NFL's chief marketing officer. Now we've almost found that we're being pushed by the clubs and players. The league's involvement in breast cancer awareness dates to 2009. Commissioner Roger Goodell and numerous players had friends and family afflicted by the disease. Executives contacted the American Cancer Society. "They said that they had an interest in this particular issue," recalled Greg Donaldson, a cancer society spokesman. It seemed like a win-win proposition. The cancer society got the chance to collaborate with one of the most visible brands in the world. The NFL got to play the good corporate citizen while simultaneously furthering a strategic business initiative. "Our job is to generate fans," Waller said. Our feeling was, this would recognize the female fans we've got but also potentially appeal to new ones. If that sounds crass, a sports marketing consultant points out that well-meaning companies can choose from myriad worthy causes. It makes sense to look for a mutually beneficial fit. "Charities that deal with cancer and children - those are the two big ones," said Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd. In Chicago. They create almost a halo for those corporations that publicly connect with them. The NFL had already been linked with the United Way for many years, a partnership known by its commercials and public service announcements. This time, league executives wanted to show their support in a more direct way - on the field. Concerns that macho athletes might balk at a more pastel-looking game proved unfounded. In the campaign's first year, Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams - whose mother survived breast cancer - helped persuade more than 100 players to wear pink cleats. Stars such as Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Larry Fitzgerald - who lost his mother to the disease - joined in promoting "A Crucial Catch," a league-wide effort to encourage annual screenings, especially for women who are 40 and older. "Just think of it as advertising," said James Ferris, director of USC's Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy. It makes people aware of the issue when they see this field of pink on television. As the cancer society's Donaldson put it, "we could never afford that kind of reach." Pink accessories have gradually filtered down through college and high school to Pop Warner and Little League games. But not everyone has been thrilled with the idea.