The service put in place by World Rugby is one of many run by third-party organisations that now exist to try to mitigate this type of abuse. The International Cricket Council used a different provider to the same end during the women’s T20 World Cup. It is great to see these international bodies investing in the protection of their people, but it is concerning these systems for online safety come with a price tag.
This report from World Rugby and those from other global tournaments are clear that online abuse is a bigger issue for women’s sports. We also know financial resources available to women’s sports are limited. Therefore, investment in these types of player-protection schemes is generally reserved for large-scale events. However, it’s not as if the trolling stops as soon as the tournament ends. Once a person is a visible target for online abuse, that harassment can continue for as long as they are active on social media.
There are some basic things everyone can do. People should block freely and often. They should set up keywords to help filter the harassment. Ultimately though, it’s up to the social media platforms to get their house in order. If these third-party organisations can monitor, track and refer instances of abuse, why can’t the platforms themselves? In the World Rugby report, there were clear peaks of abuse centred around key moments and key individuals. Social media’s all-knowing algorithms would no doubt be conscious of these trends, so it’s past time that they started to intervene.
It’s a real shame these events celebrating the best in our sports also attract the worst type of attention. That those athletes who shine in the spotlight can also become a beacon for abuse. That the schoolyard bullies have set up shop in the comments section. Good on World Rugby for doing its part in trying to move them on. It’s up to the social media platforms now to stop inviting them back.
Sports columnist Alice Soper is a former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women’s sports.