Mia Krysa

This week, I wrote about the issues in safety and abuse among women athletes. In short, the reality is scary. A few months ago, during a Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game, Jacy Sheldon found herself in a scuffle with Caitlin Clark. The confrontation got heated pretty quickly, and many Caitlin Clark fans went after Jacy Sheldon on social media. I was scrolling through her Instagram comments the next day, and was appalled at the hate and cruelty on her page.

Social Media’s Role in Amplifying Hate

I wondered why Instagram wasn’t doing more to regulate the clear hate speech and comments on her profile. At the end of the day, even though she got in an altercation that many people disagreed with, lots of the comments were unrelated, horrible, and just scary. In 2019, Instagram was supposed to role out an AI feature that flagged hate comments before they’re posted. However, I’m unsure if this was ever rolled out, and still — this doesn’t do much to stop the comments from being left.

When Safety Becomes a Real-Life Concern

This isn’t the only incident that can take a toll on athletes’ mental health. More often than not, professional women athletes face instances like stalking or threats against their safety. Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark are some of the most popular cases because they happened most recently, and they’re both high profile players in the WNBA. Caitlin received sexually violent and creepy messages from a man from Texas named Michael Lewis. He’d text her, saying he was outside her house or outside the practice facility. He now is facing prison time. Caitlin came forward and went to the police, who said “the posts “‘actually caused Caitlin Clark to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, or threatened’ and an implicit or explicit threat also was made ‘with the intent to place Caitlin Clark in reasonable fear of sexual battery,’ prosecutors wrote in the Marion County Superior Court filing.”

Paige Bueckers’ stalker faces charges but isn’t going to prison (why? I don’t know). “Parmalee was arrested by Connecticut State Police on Aug. 27 while he was walking along a highway near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. According to UConn Police, Parmalee told state police that he was going to see Bueckers. Prior to his arrest, Parmalee posted on social media that he was traveling to Connecticut to propose to Bueckers and to get her expelled from UConn.”

This Problem Isn’t New, and It’s Everywhere

And as I stated before, these aren’t isolated incidents. Athletes such as Gabby Thomas, Sunisa Lee, Simone Biles, and Coco Guaff have had similar experiences. “This harassment isn’t limited to one sport or professional league. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 87 percent of online abuse targeted women athletes, according to a World Athletics study, and most of the comments were sexual or racist in nature. ‘The levels have gone far beyond what I think anyone would ever have thought,’ tennis player Sloane Stephens, who’s been vocal about online abuse she’s received, told ELLE. “Just how dangerous it is—no one’s really ever speaking about it.” When Stephens lost in the third round of the 2021 US Open, she received over 2,000 messages of abuse. Today, she said she receives around 100 abusive messages after each match, win or lose.”

At the end of the day, this is bigger than one player, one game, or one moment that fans don’t like. It’s about creating a world where women athletes can compete without worrying about their safety every time they step on the court or open their phones. The reality is that the job shouldn’t come with harassment, stalking, or abuse.

On LinkedIn

I tried to touch on this deeper in my LinkedIn article, and am hoping that my professional network will appreciate the insight. I wrote about suggested solutions too, and changes that need to be had to make the world a better place for women. Connect with me here, and stay tuned for the last two articles of my series!