The American Heart Association, in collaboration with the National Football League, will bring Hands-Only CPR education to fans attending the Super Bowl Experience at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from Feb. 3 to Feb. 7. The Association's Nation of Lifesavers™ Mobile CPR Unit will offer walk-up style training sessions where qualified instructors teach participants the correct rate and depth of chest compressions. According to the American Heart Association, Hands-Only CPR—which involves calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest—can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of a cardiac emergency.
“When more people know CPR, more lives can be saved. Teaching fans CPR during the Super Bowl Experience transforms one of the world’s biggest sporting events into a powerful opportunity for public health impact,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. The initiative is part of the Association's Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, which aims to double cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030. According to American Heart Association data, 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, partly because immediate CPR is not performed more than half of the time. CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
The collaboration extends to in-school programs, with the NFL supporting the Association's Kids Heart Challenge™ and American Heart Challenge™. Five students who learned Hands-Only CPR through these programs won tickets to Super Bowl LX, and their schools are eligible for a $10,000 physical education makeover. Students and schools can enter now to win tickets to Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles in 2027. The Association also announced the 2025 class of Nation of Lifesavers Player Ambassadors, including 32 NFL players such as Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills, who will encourage fans to learn CPR.
Since January 2023, the American Heart Association has worked with over half of NFL teams to educate players, staff, and fans on Hands-Only CPR and Heartsaver® CPR AED. Teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys have hosted training events. The Mobile CPR Unit has appeared at previous Super Bowls and NFL Drafts, including Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans and the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay. It will also be at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The Association encourages everyone to take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life at www.heart.org/nation.
