Professional football and basketball players suffer horrific onine abuse, finds new study
85% of abuse direcetd towards footballers was racist or homophobic in nature.
Most prominent athletes across sporting disciplines enjoy huge social media followingand are immensely popular across the globe. From football to basketball and cricket, the prominent names in every sport have massive fan bases to boast of. While athletes are loved and often lauded by their fans for their on-field heroics, things are not the same always. There are instances when fans turn on their own teams and players to criticise their performances.
While constructive criticism is welcomed by most athletes, who understand the pressure that comes with representing big teams in their respective sports, there are instances when fans cross the line on social media while lashing out at an individual. Some resort to abuse and racist messages which are common across all sports.
Recently a found that professional basketball and football players have to endure 'horrific work-related online abuse'. The players are subjected to abuse and also targeted over their race and religion. The study was conducted by FIFPRO, the union representing footballers across the world and the unions representing NBA and WNBA.
The researchers used artificial intelligence to analyse the social media accounts of 80 footballers and 80 basketball players with the athletes accounting for a total of 200 million followers on social media. It was found that during the period of May to September 2021, the study flagged 1,558 abusive posts sent from 1,455 different accounts to the players across football leagues and the NBA.
The players were targeted by the fans for changing clubs, due to rivalries between teams, and their own poor performances on the field among others. 85% of abuse directed towards the football players was homophobic or racist in nature while 74% of the abuse thrown at basketball players was homophobic or racist.
“This report highlights that some of the most abused players were targeted as they changed clubs whilst others saw abuse in relation to on-field issues,“ said David Aganzo, president of FIFPRO.
“While the analysts also recognized players being targeted due to club rivalries or perceptions of their character, we must seek better cooperation amongst all stakeholders in the game to better protect those people that create the game in the first place," he added.