India, Oct. 5 -- The Philadelphia Eagles brought more than just their unbeaten record to Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. When they took the field against the Denver Broncos, every Eagles wide receiver, from AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith to John Metchie III and Jahan Dotson, was spotted in bright pink cleats.

The gesture marked the team's first game of October and served as a tribute to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Though pink has long been linked with the fight against breast cancer, its association with sports began in the early 1990s when the Susan G Komen Foundation handed out ribbons at its Race for the Cure.

The NFL embraced the symbol in 2009, with players across the league adding pink gloves, towels and cleats throughout Octobe...