Female student-athletes and college basketball players of all genders are subjected to the most abuse online, according to a new study commissioned by the NCAA — with a significant amount of the harassment related to sports betting.
Twelve percent of all student-athlete abuse on social media detected by the online security firm Signify’s AI algorithm was related to sports wagering, although the study noted that instances of harassment classified in areas such as homophobia and racism were also betting-related.
In response to the report, the NCAA called on fans and social-media companies to clean up their acts.
"Online abuse and cyberbullying have no place in our society or college athletics," said Purdue men's basketball head coach Matt Painter in a press release accompanying the report. "Thousands of student-athletes across the country face harassment every day on social media, and the bullying can affect their mental health well-being, causing stress, depression and suicidal thoughts. The increased exposure to online gambling only exacerbates the online abuse, with many student-athletes receiving death threats via social media. We are asking all social-media companies and platforms to do more to identify and remove these online threats and make their platforms safer for everyone."
Betting Interest Plays Big Part
Signify’s study covered social-media posts involving NCAA championships for all genders in six sports: baseball, basketball, football, gymnastics, softball and volleyball.
Out of 1.3 million total social-media messages mentioning the account of a player, team, coach or official involved with these events, 5,020 were verified as abusive. Out of that total, 3,915 — or roughly 80% — were directed at men’s or women’s basketball players during March Madness, with female hoopers three times more likely to be subjected to threatening messages.
Sports bettors were only responsible for some of this behavior, but the report stated that the disproportionate amount of abuse — the most prevalent of which was sexual in nature — directed at participants in March Madness “reflects the profile and popularity of the tournament as well as the sports betting interest in it.”
Additionally, the report noted that “as betting markets increased, so did the prevalence of harassment.”
Misogyny, Mental Health of Particular Concern
The misogynistic split in focus between genders extended well beyond basketball. To wit, in baseball and softball, the ratios of abuse were fairly consistent between the Men's and Women's College World Series, but individual and team accounts associated with the women's championship received 100% more messages alleging cheating and corruption when compared with the men’s.
Six percent of the verified abuse was classified as violent in nature.
"I am in Cleveland and I'm gonna wait for you outside the arena to beat the f**k out of your knees with a spiked baseball bat,” wrote one online abuser.
In the latter half of the report, Signify revealed that one student-athlete received more than 1,400 abusive messages in less than two weeks.
"I've seen firsthand the negative impacts of social media abuse on the mental health of myself and my loved ones," said Connor McCaffery, men's basketball assistant coach at Butler. "There must be more done to address this toxic behavior impacting sports at all levels.”
To that end, as of Aug. 1, all schools with Division I sports programs have been required to provide mental health counseling and services to student-athletes. Additionally, the NCAA has expanded its e-learning content to educate student-athletes on how to handle abusive threats, as well as addressing the risks of sports betting and problem gambling more broadly.
