Is Social Media Too Dangerous For Athletes?
Following a crushing defeat to Italy in penalty kicks at Wembley Stadium, members of the England national team were subjected to a firestorm of racially insensitive criticism via social media.
The Football Association, in support of the athletes, had this to say:
We’re disgusted that some of our squad – who have given everything for the shirt this summer – have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight’s game.
We stand with our players ❤️ https://t.co/1Ce48XRHEl
— England (@England) July 12, 2021
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, all of whom are Black, and missed their penalty kicks for England, bore the brunt of the vitriol.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out in defense of these three, tweeting those responsible for the racial abuse should be “ashamed of themselves.”
This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.
Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 12, 2021
Whether in-person or on social media, racial abuse among athletes in England has reached a tipping point.
And it’s time to ask:
Is social media too dangerous for pro athletes in 2021?
Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open and Wimbledon shows how even athletes at the top of their game can be thrown off by public criticism on social media.
Even in the NBA, when fans returned to arenas for the playoffs post-pandemic, a handful hurled objects at players as they walked off of the court and into the locker room:
A fan appears to throw a water bottle at Kyrie as he heads into the locker room after the Nets-Celtics game. pic.twitter.com/SCGaWyStht
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 31, 2021
Is Racial Abuse in Soccer New?
Battling back against racism is not a challenge unfamiliar to Black athletes.
In fact, the England national team has knelt before multiple games these past few weeks in solidarity with Black Lives Matter:
Rashford’s Undeserved Punishment
It’s particularly disappointing to see Marcus Rashford criticized so harshly for his missed penalty kick against Italy, given what’s done as a player on and off of the pitch:
Manchester United and England star @MarcusRashford is the recipient of this year's Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Rashford, who has spoken about his reliance on free school meals as a child, helped raise millions of dollars to help feed children in England. pic.twitter.com/8ECo2LFtOO
— ESPYS (@ESPYS) July 11, 2021
To denigrate the reputation of someone so charitable as Rashford takes a particularly slimy level of indecency.
And the mistreatment of Rashford went beyond social media.
Someone vandalized a mural of the Manchester United star in the same city he’s entertained fans for years:
Fans quickly repaired a mural of Marcus Rashford, a Black player on England’s soccer team who played in the Euro 2020 final, after it was defaced with racist remarks. https://t.co/BD3CkhFAok pic.twitter.com/N49eye8Nsv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 13, 2021
Rashford himself shared via Twitter the emotional toll and support he’s experienced in the aftermath of England’s loss to Italy:
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2021
“All I can is sorry,” Rashford said.
Individuals defaced his mural, targeted him with racial epithets, and Rashford’s the one apologizing publicly?
Shame on us.
What’s The Solution?
It’s not good enough to condemn racial abuse anymore.
When English players knelt before games and fans booed or took to social media to express their displeasure, the government remained silent.
Inaction weeks ago permitted the public criticism of athletes to continue and boil over as it did Sunday.
Facebook and Twitter have come out to reassure everyone they did their best to remove posts and accounts racially abusing players for England quickly.
The Athletic and other outlets reported the following statement from a Facebook spokesperson:
“No one should have to experience racist abuse anywhere, and we don’t want it on Instagram. We quickly removed comments and accounts directing abuse at England’s footballers last night, and we’ll continue to take action against those that break our rules.”
To express a personal opinion, no social platform moved fast enough, which raises the question of whether tech companies are doing enough to regulate and push back against hateful comments by users.
Manchester United addressed its concerns in April as part of a social media boycott among several professional sporting clubs across the United Kingdom:
Since September 2019, there has been a 350% increase in online abuse directed towards our players.
?? ???? ??????.#SeeRed #allredallequal
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 30, 2021
Legislators in Great Britain have put forward a proposal, known as the Online Safety Bill, which according to the BBC, empowers media watchdog Ofcom to fine organizations up to almost $25 million or 10 percent of their annual revenue for breaches.
The bill represents an effort to curb the spread of hateful content on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
How To Move Forward
It’s a particularly challenging time to be on social media as a pro athlete because it’s a useful tool for marketing purposes.
Many influencers delegate oversight of their social media to a public relations specialist to avoid exposure to public criticism.
That may be a more commonplace practice soon.
But for parents, what should you do if your athlete son or daughter uses social media?
I used to think that my own father exploring my activity on Facebook and Twitter periodically seemed strange.
Now, not so much.
If living through a pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to protect your health, both physical and mental.
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Is Social Media Too Dangerous For Athletes?
Following a crushing defeat to Italy in penalty kicks at Wembley Stadium, members of the England national team were subjected to a firestorm of racially insensitive criticism via social media.
The Football Association, in support of the athletes, had this to say:
We’re disgusted that some of our squad – who have given everything for the shirt this summer – have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight’s game.
We stand with our players ❤️ https://t.co/1Ce48XRHEl
— England (@England) July 12, 2021
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, all of whom are Black, and missed their penalty kicks for England, bore the brunt of the vitriol.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out in defense of these three, tweeting those responsible for the racial abuse should be “ashamed of themselves.”
This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.
Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 12, 2021
Whether in-person or on social media, racial abuse among athletes in England has reached a tipping point.
And it’s time to ask:
Is social media too dangerous for pro athletes in 2021?
Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open and Wimbledon shows how even athletes at the top of their game can be thrown off by public criticism on social media.
Even in the NBA, when fans returned to arenas for the playoffs post-pandemic, a handful hurled objects at players as they walked off of the court and into the locker room:
A fan appears to throw a water bottle at Kyrie as he heads into the locker room after the Nets-Celtics game. pic.twitter.com/SCGaWyStht
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 31, 2021
Is Racial Abuse in Soccer New?
Battling back against racism is not a challenge unfamiliar to Black athletes.
In fact, the England national team has knelt before multiple games these past few weeks in solidarity with Black Lives Matter:
Rashford’s Undeserved Punishment
It’s particularly disappointing to see Marcus Rashford criticized so harshly for his missed penalty kick against Italy, given what’s done as a player on and off of the pitch:
Manchester United and England star @MarcusRashford is the recipient of this year's Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Rashford, who has spoken about his reliance on free school meals as a child, helped raise millions of dollars to help feed children in England. pic.twitter.com/8ECo2LFtOO
— ESPYS (@ESPYS) July 11, 2021
To denigrate the reputation of someone so charitable as Rashford takes a particularly slimy level of indecency.
And the mistreatment of Rashford went beyond social media.
Someone vandalized a mural of the Manchester United star in the same city he’s entertained fans for years:
Fans quickly repaired a mural of Marcus Rashford, a Black player on England’s soccer team who played in the Euro 2020 final, after it was defaced with racist remarks. https://t.co/BD3CkhFAok pic.twitter.com/N49eye8Nsv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 13, 2021
Rashford himself shared via Twitter the emotional toll and support he’s experienced in the aftermath of England’s loss to Italy:
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2021
“All I can is sorry,” Rashford said.
Individuals defaced his mural, targeted him with racial epithets, and Rashford’s the one apologizing publicly?
Shame on us.
What’s The Solution?
It’s not good enough to condemn racial abuse anymore.
When English players knelt before games and fans booed or took to social media to express their displeasure, the government remained silent.
Inaction weeks ago permitted the public criticism of athletes to continue and boil over as it did Sunday.
Facebook and Twitter have come out to reassure everyone they did their best to remove posts and accounts racially abusing players for England quickly.
The Athletic and other outlets reported the following statement from a Facebook spokesperson:
“No one should have to experience racist abuse anywhere, and we don’t want it on Instagram. We quickly removed comments and accounts directing abuse at England’s footballers last night, and we’ll continue to take action against those that break our rules.”
To express a personal opinion, no social platform moved fast enough, which raises the question of whether tech companies are doing enough to regulate and push back against hateful comments by users.
Manchester United addressed its concerns in April as part of a social media boycott among several professional sporting clubs across the United Kingdom:
Since September 2019, there has been a 350% increase in online abuse directed towards our players.
?? ???? ??????.#SeeRed #allredallequal
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 30, 2021
Legislators in Great Britain have put forward a proposal, known as the Online Safety Bill, which according to the BBC, empowers media watchdog Ofcom to fine organizations up to almost $25 million or 10 percent of their annual revenue for breaches.
The bill represents an effort to curb the spread of hateful content on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
How To Move Forward
It’s a particularly challenging time to be on social media as a pro athlete because it’s a useful tool for marketing purposes.
Many influencers delegate oversight of their social media to a public relations specialist to avoid exposure to public criticism.
That may be a more commonplace practice soon.
But for parents, what should you do if your athlete son or daughter uses social media?
I used to think that my own father exploring my activity on Facebook and Twitter periodically seemed strange.
Now, not so much.
If living through a pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to protect your health, both physical and mental.