Dortmund has the balls to raise awareness to testicular cancer

Borussia Dortmund has marked World Cancer Day in a very interesting way. The German giants added paint to the center circle of their pitch to symbolize a testicular tumor.

This extra paint was applied to the field prior to Saturday’s match and during the halftime break.

Along with creating the bulge on the grass, doctors also provided useful information on testicular cancer during an interview that can be seen by fans.

This included discussing ways to detect the cancer early and ways to screen for the disease.

Star striker recently recovered from testicular cancer

Dortmund have a direct link to the disease as striker Sebastien Haller underwent treatment for testicular cancer last summer. The center forward has missed most of the current campaign, but has recently returned to action.

“We want to use this day to draw your attention to an important issue. Go for a cancer screening and do it regularly. It can save lives,” proclaimed Haller on the inclusion of gesture.

The club’s managing director Carsten Cramer echoed these sentiments. “Two-thirds of our fans are male. This means that we as a football club have a particularly big responsibility when it comes to highlighting an issue such as the early detection of testicular cancer,” said Cramer.

“For this reason, we wanted to lower the inhibition threshold when it comes to dealing with this disease and raise awareness in the football and BVB family alongside our partners and German Cancer Aid.”

Doctor says early detection is key in fighting disease

Haller’s cancer doctor Dr. Jan Sebastian Groticke also applauded the move as well. “If testicular tumors are detected and treated in time, they can usually be successfully overcome.

Regular medical follow-ups are important in order to detect and treat any after-effects in good time,” explained Dr. Groticke.

Dortmund went on to win the match on Saturday 5-1 against Freiburg. Fittingly enough, Haller scored six minutes after the halftime break. The win brings BVB level on points with bitter Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. However, both big clubs are still two points behind league leaders Union Berlin.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Nordphoto