There are always two sides to a coin, and the same can be said of social media. Because, while it allows fans to get a glimpse into the athletes’ lives and fosters engagement, it also serves as a conduit for online hecklers who verbally attack athletes.
And sadly, this still stands true today. In fact, according to a new World Athletics (WA) study, the situation has only worsened.
More online heckling against athletes
The WA has always strived to safeguard not just the competitions it organizes and oversees but also the athletes themselves. And as part of this commitment, WA started a project in 2021 to track and quantify the amount of negative comments their athletes receive on social media.
This year, their third study was carried out during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, which took place from August 18 to 28, and it monitored the accounts of 1,344 athletes and scanned 449,209 posts on the social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
The study found that the levels of online heckling observed during Budapest were significantly higher than the previous year’s study, which was conducted during the WAC Oregon 22.
Additionally, it was determined that hecklers were more likely to use platform X—which accounted for about 90% of the cases their “Threat Matrix team” detected—to vent their animosity or dissatisfaction towards an athlete. This was a 500% increase from 2022.
Out of the 1,344 athletes, 47 of them received targeted heckling, and around half of them were found to have come from the USA.
Of the recorded negative comments made on the internet, approximately 44% were directed towards two specific athletes.
WA Ceo Jon Ridgeon’s statement
Along with publishing its findings, their CEO, Jon Ridgeon, also gave out a statement in their press release.
Ridgeon stated that athletes should not have to accept all the hate and negativity as an ‘inevitable consequence’ of being on these social media platforms.
He added that they are looking for immediate talks with these platforms as they approach an Olympic year in order to secure a higher degree of enforcement and athlete protection.
In accordance with their safeguarding strategy, Ridgeon concluded by saying that they will keep a close eye on developments across all of these channels.
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Cover Photo: IG