Sports
NCAA: Betting abuse of athletes common online
Sports-betting-related abuse remains one of the most common forms of online harassment directed at college athletes, coaches and officials, even as overall online abuse decreased this year, according to a study commissioned by the NCAA.
Betting and match-fixing-related abuse represented 11% of nearly 4,000 messages flagged by the study. That’s approximately twice as much as racial abuse or threats of violence.
Sexual (20%) and sexism (14%) were the most common categories of abuse. The numbers were in the same range as the previous year’s study.
Overall, online abuse directed at athletes, coaches and officials decreased by 22% year-over year, with women’s basketball seeing a significant decrease, and men’s basketball experiencing a dramatic increase.
“The NCAA condemns all forms of online abuse and harassment,” Clint Hangebrauck, NCAA Managing Director of Enterprise Risk Management, said in a statement to ESPN. “The results from this year’s study suggest that the NCAA’s multi-layered strategy of building public awareness, advocacy and forming collaborative relationships with third parties is having a positive impact and has enhanced our ability to combat abuse.”
In March, the NCAA launched a “Don’t Be a Loser” video campaign that ran during the men’s and women’s basketball tournament broadcasts, in addition to lobbying for states to ban prop betting on individual college athletes. The NCAA also partnered with online payment processor Venmo this summer in an effort to combat unwanted interactions on the platform.
This was the second year the NCAA commissioned a study on social media abuse directed at college athletes, coaches and officials. The study, which was conducted by Signify Group, an artificial intelligence firm that tracks and analyzes online abuse, monitored seven championship events, including social media accounts for 5,555 athletes, 625 coaches, 466 teams and 26 official NCAA channels during the 2024-25 academic year.
Signify researchers found 31 individuals were responsible for egregious content that warranted investigation. Eight of the individuals were involved in sports betting, according to the NCAA.
Seven abusive messages met the threshold to be shared with law enforcement, the study found.
The Copa Libertadores trophy won by Flamengo on Saturday was damaged during the team’s title celebrations.
Flamengo beat Palmeiras 1-0 in the final in Lima, Peru, to become the first Brazilian club to lift the prestigious cup four times.
Flamengo players and staff had a victory parade on the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday afternoon, with an estimated 500,000 people joining in the celebrations.
Players and staff took turns to lift the cup during the parade and images showed that the top part of the trophy, which consists of a figurine of a footballer ready to kick a ball, was wrapped in what appeared to be masking tape.
– Flamengo lift Copa Libertadores, but Brazil’s players look exhausted
The figurine had earlier been broken.
Flamengo will be hoping to wrap up the Brazilian league title on Wednesday when they take on Ceara in front of their own fans in Rio’s Maracana stadium.
They are five points clear of Palmeiras at the top of the standings with two games remaining.
Former England cricketer Moeen Ali has announced his return to the Pakistan Super League (PSL), saying he was excited to be part of the league’s “new era”.
After the 10th edition of the PSL earlier this year, the league is set for an expansion to eight teams, with the addition of two new franchises.
Meanwhile, Moeen, who has previously featured in the marquee league when he represented former champions Multan Sultans in the 2020 and 2021 editions, expressed his eagerness to rejoin the league.
Moeen stated that the PSL, since its advent in 2016, has “earned a reputation for top-level T20 cricket”, featuring close competition and talented players.
“I’m really excited to be joining HBL PSL in its New Era. The league has earned a reputation for top-level T20 cricket, with high-quality competition and world-class talent across every team,” Moeen wrote on Instagram.
The 38-year-old, who represented England in 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is during his illustrious career, was also a part of the Three Lions squad that made its historic tour of Pakistan in 2022 to play a three-match Test series. Besides that, Moeen has made several visits to the country.
Reflecting on his previous experiences in Pakistan, Moeen said that he enjoyed playing in the country and specifically praised the enthusiastic crowd, which he said pushes players to give their best on the field.
“Playing in Pakistan is always incredible; quality of cricket is outstanding and the passion and intensity from the crowd push you to bring your best,” he continued.
“I’m looking forward to being part of it all and creating some great memories along the way. Ready for another special experience Insha’Allah!”
His announcement comes just days after former South African captain Faf du Plessis pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to play in the upcoming PSL season.
In a post on Instagram on November 29, the renowned cricketer said that he would not put his name in the IPL auction this year.
“It’s a big decision, and one that comes with a lot of gratitude when I look back,” he wrote in his post.
The receiver has been plagued by injuries, but Sunday night against the Broncos, he gave Washington something to talk about other than a seventh straight loss.
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Flamengo’s Copa Libertadores trophy damaged in title celebrations
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