Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Sport begins social media boycott

Sport begins social media boycott

Football clubs, players, athletes and a number of sporting bodies have begun a four-day boycott of social media in an attempt to tackle abuse and discrimination on their platforms.

It began at 15:00 BST on Friday and will end on Monday at at 23:59 BST.

The "show of solidarity against online abuse" hopes to encourage companies to take a stronger stance against racist and sexist abuse by users.

Rugby union, cricket and rugby league have also joined the protest.

The Premier League released a statement prior to the four-day silence, saying it would not stop challenging companies "until discriminatory online abuse is removed from our game and wider society".

"We know that a boycott alone will not eradicate this, which is why we will continue to take proactive steps to call for change," the statement continued.

A number players posted a statement shortly before the protest began, while football clubs changed their Twitter feed icons to a blacked-out version of their logo.


Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips wrote: "Disappointed that we even have to be doing this. Social media should be a safe space for everyone.

"I really hope main platforms make it a priority to eradicate online abuse from their system. It's already a problem in society, let's do more to stop it online as well."

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out says the boycott "signifies our collective anger", with football being joined by other sports.


 


Who is taking part?


Among the organisations boycotting Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are:

*  Football: Clubs from the Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League, Scottish Professional Football League and Scottish women's football; governing bodies including the Football Association, Scottish FA, Football Association of Wales and Irish Football Association; European governing body Uefa; a number of other football organisations

*  Cricket: The England and Wales Cricket Board, first-class counties, women's regional teams and the Professional Cricketers' Association

*  Netball: The Superleague, England Netball, Netball Players Association

*  Rugby union: England Rugby, Scottish Rugby, Welsh Rugby, France Rugby, Premiership Rugby, clubs and the Rugby Players' Association

*  Rugby league: The Rugby Football League, Super League Europe, Rugby League World Cup 2021 and the Rugby League Players' Association

*  Corporate bodies: Premier League and Women's Super League sponsor Barclays, England sponsor Nationwide, Adidas; broadcasters Sky Sports, BT Sport and Talksport

*  Formula 1: All drivers

British Cycling, British Horseracing, Great Britain and England Hockey, and the Lawn Tennis Association are also involved.

The Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the FA, has also joined, alongside seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and Williams driver George Russell.

Formula 1 said it was "wholly committed to combatting any form of discrimination, online or otherwise" and "supports" the sporting bodies and athletes involved in the boycott.

While individual drivers have joined, it is understood Formula 1 is not taking part as it does not experience the same abuse issues on its social media.

The BBC said it could not take part in the campaign because of "special duties that don't apply to other organisations under our Royal Charter and editorial guidelines that prevent us from joining lobbying campaigns".

"We will continue to work hard, and publicly, to tackle social media abuse and to expose and challenge racism. And we'll continue to report extensively on the impact of social media hate - and this weekend's boycott - across our platforms," the corporation added.

What have players said?


Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend told BBC Sport players were "starting to fight back", adding the boycott would "send a warning to these companies that if you don't start regulating your platforms, it's going to be an indefinite blackout".

Watford captain Troy Deeney told BBC Breakfast the social media boycott was a "huge step".

"For a long time now we've all been talking about the impact of social media on the younger generation, as well as mental health," he said.

"I think the huge part about this is it's only four days, it could give people a perspective of what life could be like without a huge amount of sporting stars on [social media]."

Deeney added that he receives abuse on a daily basis, which is also aimed at his partner and children.

"That's very difficult for me to read but also not to react," he said. "We have to not react, we're in a privileged position but if we react on a human level, we're the ones who will get held accountable for our reactions."

Former West Ham, Sunderland and QPR defender Anton Ferdinand told BBC Radio 5 Live it was "sad" the fight against online abuse had got to this point, but that football was "taking no more of it".

"There should be life bans, because we're talking about people's lives," he said.

"Some people don't get out of the slump they're in after being abused on social media, and that can lead to people harming themselves.

"We've got to take this very, very seriously."

Ferdinand also called on the UK government to do more.

"Has the energy from the government been the same as what it was when the [European] Super League was being spoken about? No it hasn't, and that's the disappointing thing," he said.

"When we're talking about pound notes and money involved, that's when people seem to act properly, and seem to act in the right way.

"The government haven't done that when it comes to discrimination on social media platforms, the energy isn't the same and that is one of the reasons why the social media companies aren't really taking heed of what is being said by the footballing bodies."

Burnley captain Ben Mee said he hoped social media companies "will take notice", telling BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "There's plenty of technology out there that can help stop this abuse online, not just in football, sport, or in everyday general life.

"We need to protect young kids, young adults as well. And growing up with all this social media going on, it needs to be things put in place for these trolls and keyboard warriors to take responsibility for their actions."

Why are they doing this?


Two years ago, a number of footballers took part in the #Enough campaign - a 24-hour social media boycott in protest at online abuse.

But players across all sports continue to be subjected to racist abuse, with some clubs contacting police over the level of aggression.

An investigation by the Professional Footballers' Association, the players' union, found 56 abusive posts on Twitter in November 2020.

The PFA reported them to the platform but 31 of them are still visible, which the organisation described as "absolutely unacceptable".

On Friday, Manchester United revealed their own analysis had found a 350% increase in abuse directed towards the club's players, with 3,300 posts targeting players during the period September 2019 to February 2021.

It found 86% of those posts were racist, while 8% were homophobic or transphobic.

Three weeks ago, Swansea City were joined by Birmingham City and Rangers in turning off their social media accounts for a week to make a stand against abuse.

Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry removed himself from social media in March because of racism and bullying across platforms.

A BBC Sport survey in August of elite British sportswomen found that one third of participants had suffered abuse on social media.

Some of football's governing bodies laid out the changes they would like to see in a letter to Facebook and Twitter in February.

The UK government has previously threatened social media companies with "large fines", which could amount to "billions of pounds" if they fail to tackle abuse on their platforms.

Individuals and football clubs have condemned the abuse, and it has been decided that collective action is the best way to bring about change.

What do the social media companies say?


Facebook, which owns Instagram, has said it is committed to tackling abuse on its platforms.

Instagram last week announced a tool to enable users to automatically filter out abusive messages from those they do not follow on the platform.

Twitter released a lengthy statement in February, stating it was "resolute in our commitment to ensure the football conversation on our service is safe for fans, players and everyone involved in the game".

The company added it had removed more than 7,000 football-related tweets in the UK that violated its rules.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×