Dick's Tackles Concussions

Dick's Sporting Goods today will launch a new program aimed at preventing concussions in student athletes and treating them properly if they occur.

The first TV spot stars former NFL running back Jerome Bettis holding a helmet and saying, "You wouldn't get on the field without this – and you shouldn't get on the field without a baseline concussion test either."

According to the New York Times, through a program Dick's calls Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education, or PACE, the retailer will pay for schoolwide neurocognitive testing of athletes across more than 3,300 schools, totaling more than a million students.

The commercial, which closes with Bettis saying, “Let’s bench concussions with the help of Dick’s Sporting Goods,” is scheduled to be introduced today. The campaign was produced in-house and also includes digital advertising, online-only videos and social-network marketing.

Dick’s will donate $1 to PACE every time consumers buy a pair of shoes at one of the retailer’s 449 stores or online, check in at a Dick’s through Foursquare or Facebook Places, click a button to share information about the program with friends on Facebook or send a message over Twitter that includes the hashtag #DSGPACE.

In addition, current and retired professional athletes, including Bettis and Ali Krieger of the United States women’s soccer team, are appearing at Dick’s locations across the country throughout August at concussion-awareness events.

Check out Bettis' commercial below.