With sport all around us it is an incredibly busy time of year but it was worth taking two hours away from the action yesterday to attend a session in the offices of Clark Hill law firm in Dublin to discuss an area that is of accelerating danger to the sporting world.

This was a follow up to a call from the FIA earlier in the year for sporting bodies, and all other stakeholders to do something that would have a sustainable positive impact in reducing the threat of online abuse of sporting stars.

Ger Gilroy was a sympathetic host of a discussion that cut to the core of why this is so important with contributions from Tom Parsons of the gaelic Players Association and once the subject of a headline saying ‘Fall from Grace as Parsons Dropped from mayo Team’; Leah Tarpey of Leinster and Ireland who decided to take on some of the trolls; and Jenny Claffey who once had to withdraw from a tennis tournament in madrid because of death threats about which the tournament organiser could do nothing.

The panel was completed by solicitor Aidan Eames who is playing a leading role in the international movement to tackle the issue

The nature of public comment has always been harsh from the hurlers on the ditch but sporting folk put themselves out there and are used in the spotlight to taking the rough with the smooth.

The rough has now reached a point though where it is threatening the viability of young players wanting to come into that spotlight or stay in it.

Social media has created a permanent record of abuse, no longer just audible to those around a loudmouth in the stands but visible forever to the players, their friends, their families and the world.

That is scarring beyond anything which those of previous generations had to endure.

Sport is no different to entertainment or politics in the abuse which is now louder, dirtier, and more threatening with every day that passes.

The call to Unite Against Online Abuse is gathering steam with many of the world’s sporting bodies coming together to share their own successes and learn from each other.

Dominic Rumbles from World Rugby spoke of the cases taken and won in Australia against abuse of match officials and their families at last year’s Rugby World Cup.

We heard about research and proposed regulation that can take the sting out of some of the most egregious examples but we also hearf the reality of media based around revenue and noisy argument fuelling that.

Reading the comments sections in any media where there is no paywall these days is a sobering and depressing exercise that i would not encourage.

Clicking on the replies and comments in social media posts is similarly depressing to an observer, increasingly dangerous to the mental health of those on the receiving end.

Our world has become more brutal in the past decade and that is accelerating quickly as can be seen in political debate, sporting fandom and the willingness of growing numbers on the edge to nudge towards the mainstream.

An obvious first step is to remove the anonymity of those who post. It does not stop free speech but it does make people think about how their views might be seen by others.

There is talk of an independent flagging system that could be universally supported across sport and brought to the distributors of the comments to see if a compromise can be found between their desire for free for all comment and the better way of a more measured debate.

This is an issue that is not going away and it is also one that we cannot simply stand by and shake our heads at.

I wish there was a magic bullet solution. But at least by gathering to recognise the problem, the search for one has taken a step forward.

 

Sport for Business will host its annual Sport for Social Good Conference in Dublin on Thursday morning, October 24th. This is one of many events planned for the remainder of 2024.

Register your interest to attend a Sport for Business event here.

 

The IRFU, GAA, FAI and Sport Ireland are among the 300 organisations, which include all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, that are members of the Sport for Business community.

Find out more about joining us today.

Check out our upcoming events to discover ways of connecting in person with our membership.