The American Heart Association's Nation of Lifesavers Mobile CPR Unit will provide free Hands-Only CPR instruction to attendees at the NFL's Super Bowl Experience at Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from February 3-7, 2026. This collaboration marks the sixth time the mobile unit has appeared at a major NFL event, continuing a partnership aimed at increasing public preparedness for cardiac emergencies.
According to American Heart Association data, 90% of people who experience cardiac arrest outside hospitals die, often because immediate CPR isn't administered more than half the time. With nearly three-quarters of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring in homes, the organization emphasizes that CPR knowledge is most likely to be used on someone familiar. "Knowing you are most likely to perform the lifesaving skill of CPR on someone you know and love, being ready to act in a cardiac emergency is a critical skill you want to have when seconds can make a difference," said American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown.
The walk-up style instruction teaches compression-only CPR, which research shows can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first minutes of emergency response. Participants learn the correct rate and depth of chest compressions, with the simple protocol of calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest when someone collapses. The American Heart 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.
This Super Bowl activation supports the Nation of Lifesavers movement, which aims to double cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030. Immediate CPR can double or triple survival chances, making widespread training crucial. "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," Brown explained.
The partnership extends beyond the Super Bowl through year-round initiatives. Since January 2023, more than half of NFL teams have hosted American Heart Association trainings for players, staff, youth coaches, and fans. Additionally, the organizations celebrate five students who won Super Bowl tickets through the Association's Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge school programs, where they learned Hands-Only CPR. Their schools become eligible for $10,000 physical education makeovers, and current students can enter to win Super Bowl LXI tickets at https://www.heart.org/nation.
Thirty-two NFL players serve as 2025 Nation of Lifesaver Player Ambassadors, encouraging families and fans to learn CPR. The mobile unit will next appear at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, continuing the effort to build what Brown calls "a Nation of Lifesavers" where everyone is prepared to act during cardiac emergencies.
