The American Heart Association's Nation of Lifesavers Mobile CPR Unit will provide Hands-Only CPR instruction at the NFL's Super Bowl Experience from February 3-7 at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center. This walk-up training teaches participants the correct compression rate and depth needed to join the Association's Nation of Lifesavers movement. The collaboration represents the sixth appearance of the Mobile CPR Unit at a signature NFL event, following previous appearances at Super Bowls and NFL Drafts, with future plans to appear at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
According to American Heart Association science, compression-only CPR can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of emergency response. The technique involves calling 911 when someone collapses and then pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest. With nearly 3 out of 4 cardiac arrests occurring outside hospitals in homes, and 9 out of 10 people dying from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests partly due to lack of immediate CPR, this training addresses a critical public health need. The Association publishes the official scientific guidelines for CPR at https://cpr.heart.org/en/resuscitation-science/cpr-and-ecc-guidelines/resuscitation-education-science#5.3.
The NFL and American Heart Association aim to double cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030 through their Nation of Lifesavers movement. Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, emphasized that teaching CPR during major events like the Super Bowl transforms sporting events into opportunities for public health impact. "When more people know CPR, more lives can be saved," Brown stated, noting that immediate CPR can double or triple survival chances.
Beyond the Super Bowl event, the partnership includes year-round activations through the NFL Foundation supporting CPR education. Five students from across the country won Super Bowl LX tickets through the Association's Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge school programs after learning Hands-Only CPR. Their schools are now eligible for $10,000 physical education makeovers, and both students and schools can enter to win tickets to Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles in 2027 at https://www.heart.org/nation.
Since January 2023, the American Heart Association has worked with more than half of NFL teams to educate players, staff, youth coaches, and fan families on Hands-Only CPR and Heartsaver CPR AED training. Teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers have hosted trainings to better prepare communities to respond to cardiac emergencies. The Association encourages everyone to learn CPR in 90 seconds at their website.
To amplify the message, 32 NFL players serve as 2025 Nation of Lifesaver Player Ambassadors, including Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills, Kenny Pickett of the Las Vegas Raiders, and George Karlaftis of the Kansas City Chiefs. These ambassadors ask family, friends, and fans to learn CPR, recognizing that most people will need to perform CPR on someone they know. Brown emphasized that "being ready to act in a cardiac emergency is a critical skill you want to have when seconds can make a difference."
