Don’t Forget– Athletes Are People Too
Social media has created a sports landscape where we feel like we know our favorite athletes both on and off the field. Whether it's athletes posting their “get ready with me” videos, going on Instagram Live and answering questions, or responding to messages from their fans, sports stars are interacting with their fan bases more than ever. But this perceived closeness has become a double-edged sword. With so much of an athlete’s life on display in the media, some treat them like friends, while others forget that they are human. In the name of being a “fan,” people are increasingly justifying harassment, stalking, and bullying of athletes. There is a rapidly growing sense of entitlement masquerading as fandom, and it’s time we talk about it.
Angel Reese discussing her media treatment (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Yes, athletes are public figures, but something about interacting with them via screen has caused too many “fans” to treat them as if they aren’t real people, too. Their lives may be on display, but this doesn’t give you the right to comment on them in any way you wouldn’t in person. Of course, it’s okay to get mad at your favorite player’s performance or yell at your TV because you lost a sports bet– emotion and critique are a natural part of sports. What's not okay? Crossing the line into threats, harassment, or dehumanizing. One of the best parts about sports is feeling a strong allegiance with your favorite team or athlete, but sometimes, this can cause people to forget that athletes don’t owe us anything. Their job is to play– not to win every game, not to never have a bad day, and certainly not to endure online abuse or safety concerns. They may seem like harmless comments, but they do have effects on the athletes they’re aimed at and their fan base. We know our Sportsish followers would never leave hate comments on an athlete’s post, but we do want to shed light on what’s happening and how to recognize when fans cross the line. Caring about sports means caring about the people who play them and not acting in the following ways:
1. Threats
One of the most common (and concerning) behaviors on athletes' social media pages is threats. Perhaps due to an increase in sports betting, fans have vented their frustrations directly into the comments, wishing injuries, abuse, and even death upon athletes who they believe “lost” them money. The issue has gotten so widespread that the NCAA has begun investigating and taking measures to combat the behavior. Through this investigation, the NCAA found that 1 in every 3 high-profile athletes are victims of abusive content on social media. During March Madness this year alone, 4,000 comments and posts were flagged as abusive, and women received three times the amount of threats as men. We’re glad measures are being taken, but unfortunately, threats are still a rite of passage for athletes.
DM’s received by Destanee Aiava after losing her tennis match (Instagram via desaiava)
2. Racism/Sexism/Homophobia
You don’t need to look far into the comments of any major athlete to find some examples of racist, sexist, or homophobic remarks towards them. One league that has specifically fallen victim to all of these aggressions has been the WNBA. Take, for example, our queen, Angel Reese. Because of a high-tension moment between her and Caitlin Clark in the final round of March Madness, “fans” of the W have pit the two against each other and drawn out a fake rivalry that is by no means equal. Both players are confident and not afraid to speak their minds, but a double standard exists where one player receives praise, and the other faces a flood of hate comments for doing the same thing. While Caitlin gets called passionate for talking back, Angel is labeled classless, and many other things that we’d rather not repeat. There are certainly slurs and other clear markers of racism on any social media page related to Angel, but her overall treatment is perhaps the biggest indication. Internet trolls have tried everything to tear Angel down, from creating fake statistics to harassing her on the court and ensuring her comments are always filled with cruelty, but we’re glad her teammates have her back.
In just about every female athlete’s post, you can pretty much always find a handful of sexist remarks.
“I could beat her 1-on-1”
“Get back in the kitchen”
“They would lose to a middle school boys' team ”
“Stop posting about women’s sports”
“That’s a woman?”
We’ve seen it all. It’s not only harmful, but it’s tired and overdone. Homophobia is also rampant in comment sections, with “fans” leaving slurs on athletes' posts and shaming them for their identity while also calling athletes “gay” as an insult, as if queerness were something to be mocked. Obviously, this rhetoric is harmful to athletes themselves, but perhaps the most upsetting thing about it is the way it expands to hurt entire communities of people. Messages like this don’t just target one athlete; they tell whole groups of people that they don’t belong in sports.
3. Sexualization
Sexualization remains one of the most normalized forms of harassment in sports (especially women’s). People seem to forget that women in sports (or anywhere, for that matter) don’t exist to look pretty or please anyone – they’re there to play. This behavior occurs at two extremes of the spectrum. On one side, athletes are criticized for not being attractive enough (as if this has literally anything to do with sports) and shamed for not fitting a specific mold of femininity. On the other hand, their appearance is hyper-fixated on, taking all the recognition and leaving none for anything athletics-related. Athletes are told to take these comments as compliments when, in reality, they are creepy and predatory remarks. Take, for example, the comments on the Los Angeles Sparks’ tryout announcement for practice players. Immediately after posting, the comment section was filled with countless sexually charged and explicit comments singling out and objectifying certain players. Or what about the beloved Shaq mentioning Angel Reese’s “little shorts” in her podcast episode? The more you observe, the more you notice that the sexualization of women in sports is everywhere. We can’t combat it until we acknowledge that it’s there.
4. Invasion of Personal Lives
Social media has allowed us to catch a glimpse into the lives of athletes outside the game, but some people have confused this with the entitlement to all of an athlete’s life. Sometimes, people forget that athletes choose what to show and what not to show to the world and that it’s only their job to do so. Whether it's taking pictures of athletes in public without their permission, leaking personal details on the internet, prying into their romantic lives, or asking invasive questions, many “fans” cross a line from curiosity to creepy.
Some fans also seem to confuse behind-the-scenes social media content with knowing the full story of an athlete's life and feel like they have the knowledge and authority to give an opinion on it. Your favorite athlete may be posting fit checks or vacation photos, but that does not mean they aren’t working their butt off in the weight room or taking big strides towards recovery from injury. We hate to see these types of comments, but we’re glad athletes are standing up for themselves and reminding the world that social media is far from being the whole picture.
Cameron Brink responding to comment about her ACL recovery (Instagram via cameronbrink22)
5. Stalking
The invasion of privacy doesn’t just happen online. Recently, several athletes have come forward to speak about being stalked by individuals who identify themselves as fans, and we’re starting to see that this is more common than we’d expect. Gabby Thomas, Paige Bueckers, Suni Lee, Caitlin Clark, Simone Biles, Livvy Dunne, and Coco Gauff – so many of the athletes we know and love have had to endure safety violations and extreme invasions of privacy because people have disguised criminal offenses, such as stalking, as harmless fan behavior. Having flight information released, being followed back to homes or hotels, and seeing unwanted visitors show up in private spaces – none of this is part of the athlete's job description, and none of it is normal.
What starts in the comment section doesn’t always stay there, and the entitlement that fuels invasive or abusive messaging is the same one that causes people to cross serious boundaries in real life. Everything connects to the way athletes are treated online and the complacency of people who witness it. Whether it’s threats, racism/sexism/homophobia, sexualization, invasion of private lives, or stalking– athletes have had to endure abuse and safety violations, all in the name of being a public figure. At Sportsish, we care about athletes both on and off the field, so it only makes sense that we’d speak out against this maltreatment. True fans of the game respect the athletes who play it and don’t tolerate people who try to tear them down. Here’s to a future where hate has no place in sports.