The NCAA has called on fans and social media platforms to tackle online harassment following what the association called “shocking findings” in a report study published Thursday.
The report found that abusive messages increased particularly during March Madness, where female basketball players received about three times as many threats as male players, according to the study. The report also highlighted volleyball and gymnastics championships among events with concerning content.
Of more than 5,000 posts reviewed by researchers and reported to social media platforms for abuse, discrimination or threatening content, the most prevalent type (18%) was sexual abuse directed at male and female athletes.
Researchers classified 17% of abusive messages as “general” and 14% as “sexism.” Twelve percent of posts were related to sports betting. The researchers also found that the prevalence of abusive posts increased as betting markets grew.
Ten percent of the messages contained racist language, 9 percent were homophobic or transphobic and 9 percent contained an abusive message using a racist trope without directly using racist language, according to the report. Another 6 percent were violent, while the remaining 5 percent were abusive posts related to ableism (2 percent), family (2 percent), and other topics.
“I’ve heard too many student-athletes talk about the abusive messages they’ve received, and for the first time, we now have proof of the scale at which this is happening. It’s incredibly alarming and completely unacceptable,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement Thursday. “Fans need to do better, social media companies need to do more to identify and remove this content and we all need reminders about responsible social media use.”
How did the study take place?
The study, released in partnership with data and artificial intelligence company Signify Group, examined 1.3 million posts and comments targeting more than 3,000 social media profiles belonging to athletes, coaches and officials in volleyball, football, basketball, gymnastics, softball and baseball.
Researchers then flagged more than 5,000 of these posts on social media platforms because they contained abusive, discriminatory or threatening messages, and used these posts to analyze data related to abusive content.
Harassment – online and in person – is a growing problem in college sports
Athletes such as LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne spoke out about the harassment. She said last year that she stopped taking in-person classes for safety reasons.
The rise of sports betting has pushed back the question. Earlier this year, Baker said he wanted a ban on incidental betting in college sports in every state, citing in part the harassment players face. Baker also considered legislation that could ban some people from betting if they harass athletes and coaches.
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The report released Thursday highlights the potential effects of online harassment on athletes’ mental health – a topic players have increasingly spoken about in recent years. In August, the NCAA began requiring schools with Division I programs to provide mental health counseling.
“Signify Group noted that repeated abuse can have a particularly detrimental effect: one student-athlete received more than 1,400 abusive messages in less than two weeks,” the researchers wrote in the report.
Executives want social media platforms to do more
But it’s easier said than done. Some social media companies have content moderation canceled in recent years, as politicians struggle over how to better – if at all – legislate against online hatred.
“Increased exposure to online gambling only exacerbates online abuse, with many student-athletes receiving death threats via social media. » Purdue Men’s basketball coach Matt Painter said in a statement Thursday regarding the NCAA report. “We are calling on all companies and social media platforms to do more to identify and remove these online threats and make their platforms safer for everyone. »
Athletics has contacted X and Meta – parent company of Facebook and Instagram – for comment.
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
