NCAA Calls for Action to Address Online Abuse in College Sports

The NCAA has issued a strong call for social media platforms and fans to help curb the rising tide of online abuse in college sports. Partnering with Signify Group, the NCAA has conducted a significant study using the Threat Matrix service powered by AI, which tracked online harassment aimed at student-athletes, coaches, and officials participating in various NCAA Division I championships. The findings, which highlight the growing toxicity on social media, reveal that over 5,000 posts from a pool of 1.3 million comments were abusive, including racist, sexist, and betting-related threats.

Key revelations from the study indicate that 18% of the abusive messages were sexual in nature, while 12% were related to sports betting. Alarmingly, women’s basketball athletes were subjected to three times more threats than their male counterparts. NCAA President Charlie Baker stressed the importance of addressing this issue, calling for better behavior from fans and stricter moderation from social media companies. The study is part of the NCAA’s broader initiative to protect the mental health and well-being of its athletes, who increasingly face severe harassment online.

The abuse, including violent and discriminatory content, has prompted the NCAA to increase mental health support for student-athletes while also pressing for more stringent action from platforms. This research not only sheds light on the dangers posed by online harassment but also encourages all parties involved to create a safer environment for those participating in college sports.