MIAMI (AP) — On the eve of its debut, Unrivaled held a safety meeting with its players about their safety.
In recent months, three separate cases of cyberharassment have been made public involving college and WNBA women’s basketball players. The most recent involved Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. A man was charged with crime of criminal harassment from the Indiana Fever star earlier this week. UConn star Paige Bueckers had a stalker who was stopped a few months ago. There are many others that have not received as much attention.
“I think it’s scary. Quite naturally, as we become more available to people, things like this happen,” said Napheesa Collier, co-founder of Unrivaled. “We had a safety meeting the other day.”
The 36 players participating in the new 3-on-3 league discussed not posting anything indicating where they live and not posting in real time where they may be, such as at the beach or at a restaurant.
“These are just precautions. You can’t control the actions of others, but you must do everything in your power to keep yourself safe,” Collier said.
Breanna Stewart and her wife Marta Xargay were victims themselves during the WNBA Finals last October, after receiving anonymous, threatening homophobic emails after the first game.
“We have a lot of security here and you see them everywhere,” Stewart said. “Making sure that whether we’re posting photos or on social media, nothing is in real time, because that’s when they’re really able to know where you are. »
DiJonai Carrington has also received cyber threats and takes precautions when she is away.
“It’s really unfortunate that this is happening, but I think as the game grows it’s going to continue to happen because some people are just crazy and are not of sound mind and need to be held responsible for these things,” she said. “But honestly, I don’t think it’s going to stop. We have to do things, go beyond our expectations and try to protect ourselves.
Aliyah Boston, who plays with Clark on The Fever, praised what Unrivaled has done so far to make players feel safe.
“It’s super scary and I feel bad for Paige, Caitlin, (Breanna) and the whole family because it’s not something you want to experience,” she said. “But I think everyone around us is doing a great job trying to make sure we feel safe and making sure they’re responding to everything. If we’re not sure about something, they’re on it. They know exactly what to do.
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