Women in sports media face a uniquely vile mix of aggression and harassment online. The problem is widely known — yet how to stop it is more tricky.
A new online video campaign starring two prominent reporters serves as a call to action and puts the harassment of women in media in stark perspective.
The four-minute video, called “More Than Mean,” is embedded atop this post. It stars reporters Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro — both known for not backing down from trolls online. In the video released Tuesday, they sit down as men read real comments posted online about them to their face.
The effect underscores a simple but powerful truth: The vile messages some men send women online are things they’d be far too cowardly to say in real life.
But why is this such a prevalent problem in sports media?
“That is a question that has yet to be answered through academic research, but the socialization of organized team sports as a masculine domain and rite of passage into manhood for many young boys probably plays a part,” Edward Kian, a professor of sports media at Oklahoma State University, told Mashable in 2014. “In other words, many of the guys who sucked at organized sports and stopped playing at younger ages wrongly believe they are better than high-level female athletes in those sports. You see and hear this in the gym regularly, and it is laughably pathetic.”
It’s even more pathetic when you hear it online — as the “More Than Mean” video starring Spain and DiCaro illustrates well.
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