March Madness Players Most Susceptible to Online Abuse From Angry Sports Bettors

Posted on: October 9, 2024, 12:53h. 

Last updated on: October 9, 2024, 01:44h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

A study commissioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) set to be released on Thursday finds that college basketball players who participated in this year’s March Madness men’s and women’s tournaments were the most harassed by angry sports bettors.

March Madness college sports betting harassment
A Caesars Sportsbook advertisement is seen during a Michigan State home football game against Ohio State on Oct. 8, 2022. An NCAA study finds that college athletes participating in March Madness have been most harassed by angry sports bettors. (Image: The New York Times)

Last December, the NCAA contracted Signify Group, a data-driven research firm, to study how the expansion of sports gambling has impacted student-athletes. Signify’s AI-powered Threat Matrix surveyed and analyzed instances of collegiate athletes being harassed online through social media.

The Signify summary set for release on Thursday details the 2023-2024 NCAA championships and incidences of harassment, inclusive of the 2024 College Football Playoff, 2024 March Madness tournaments, College World Series championships, and volleyball and gymnastics titles.

During those sporting events, players were subjected to 743 abusive and/or threatening social media communications related to sports gambling. Nearly three in four (73%) occurred during the March Madness basketball games.

As the prevalence of sports betting went up, so did the prevalence of sports betting-related abuse,” Clint Hangebrauck, the NCAA’s managing director of enterprise risk, told ESPN.

Threat Matrix surveyed social media accounts for more than 3,000 student-athletes, roughly 500 coaches, 200 referees, and 165 collegiate teams.

The probe established that enraged sports bettors unhappy with the team or player(s) performance they bet on engaged in “problematic and intrusive communication” involving sexual abuse, racism, and homophobic remarks. One example relayed by the NCAA ahead of the Signify report read:

“Yo, no big deal but if you don’t get 22 points and 12 boards everyone you know and love will be dead.”

Sports Betting, NIL Expansion

In May 2018, the United States Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that had limited single-game wagering to Nevada. The landmark ruling gave states the right to determine their laws on sports gambling. Today, 38 states and Washington, DC have legal sports wagering.

The expansion of sports betting came as NCAA players gained the right to benefit financially from participating in college sports through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. NIL came after another Supreme Court decision — the NCAA v. Alston in 2021 — found that the college sports governing body was profiting not only from organizing and sanctioning collegiate sports, but from the names and likenesses of student-athletes.

That landmark ruling opened up the door for student-athletes to receive compensation from NIL programs. College sports’ most recognizable stars have since signed lucrative sponsorship endorsements.

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ NIL deals are worth $5.6 million, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne’s has $4 million in sponsorships, and Colorado Buffaloes wideout Travis Hunter has more than $3 million in endorsements.

No Longer Amateurs?

The NCAA has worked vigorously to safeguard athletes from online harassment. NCAA President Charlie Baker has made it a priority to urge states with regulated sports betting to prohibit player props involving college athletes.

Props involve bets on a specific athlete’s performance. For example, how many yards Colorado’s Sanders will throw in his next game?

Baker believes such bets increase harassment but some say since college athletes are no longer truly amateurs who cannot profit from their play and image, such bans are unwarranted.