Abbott and the Big Ten Conference are back with Year 2 of their college rivalry-inspired blood donation competition that leverages the fandom of collegiate athletics to address one of the country’s most pressing health crises.
From Aug. 27 to Dec. 5, schools will compete to see which can inspire the most people to donate blood.
The U.S. continues to face urgent blood shortages, with some blood centers reporting less than a one-day supply of blood on hand. Blood donations are needed every two seconds for a wide variety of medical reasons, including trauma and accident victims, mothers experiencing complications after childbirth, and individuals receiving cancer treatment. As people get older, they become less likely to be eligible to donate blood. At the same time, the number of young people donating blood has been falling in recent years.
With the “We Give Blood” drive competition, Abbott is working with Big Ten universities and blood centers across the country to ignite the next generation of lifelong blood donors. The competition will bring more blood drives to campuses, giving many college students an opportunity to donate blood for the first time. Students, alumni and fans across the country can donate blood at any location and log their donation to help their school compete for the $1 million from Abbott.
“This campaign is a direct investment in the long-term sustainability of our nation’s blood supply,” said Robert Ford, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. “We know young people care deeply about their communities, and this is an amazing opportunity to help them show it. Our hope is that years from now, people will look back and mark the ‘We Give Blood’ drive as the moment that they became a first-time, and ultimately lifelong, blood donor.”
“We are glad to partner with Abbott once again to provide this opportunity for every Big Ten fan across the country to help solve the worst U.S. blood shortage in decades,” said Tony Petitti, Big Ten Conference Commissioner. “Big Ten fans are competitive and compassionate. We are confident they will embrace this challenge not only in the months ahead, but for years to come.”
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln won the inaugural “We Give Blood” drive competition in 2024 with nearly 4,000 donors, saving as many as 12,000 lives. The university is using its funds to support health-focused research, student organization grants, and its Well-Being Collective, which promotes students’ physical, social, and emotional health.
The X’s and O’s
Logging a donation for your Big Ten school of choice is easier than ever: anyone eligible to donate blood can do so at any blood center or drive across the country from Aug. 27 to Dec. 5 and text “DONATE” to ABBOTT (222688) to log a donation for their Big Ten school. You can also submit your donation at BigTen.Org/Abbott, where you can find more information about eligibility, specifics around campus blood drives and a blood center locator tool.
This year’s competition will offer Big Ten fans more opportunities with the goal of inspiring first-time donors:
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- Abbott is releasing exclusive, limited-edition Homefield designed T-shirts for each Big Ten school. Be among the first to receive one by showing up to donate and logging your donation on “We Give Blood Day” on Aug. 27. Shirts will be available throughout the competition, while supplies last.
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- Beginning with the first week of the Big Ten football season, Abbott and the Big Ten will host 12 “We Give Blood” Weekly One-Up Challenges. These mini competitions will pit two Big Ten schools against each other to see which can show up to donate the most blood during the week. Donors from the winning school will receive a chance to win select memorable campus experiences offered by the universities.
The winner of the “We Give Blood” drive will be announced at the Big Ten Championship Football Game on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis. That school will receive $1 million to advance student or community health. Donation totals will be tracked on a live leaderboard at BigTen.Org/Abbott throughout the campaign.
Abbott, the health sciences and diagnostics partner of the Big Ten Conference, helps screen the world’s blood supply. Abbott has partnered with the multimedia rightsholders across each Big Ten campus – Learfield, Playfly Sports, and JMI Sports.
