The NBA is often the site of amazing and groundbreaking moments, created by not only the players but also the fans.
It’s the fans that really make things so much fun, with debates and memes and thought-provoking conversations often taking center stage in today’s internet-dominated world.
But there is a dark side to the internet and to fanbases that can often get overlooked. On Twitter, Sixers announcer Kate Scott reminded the world of how bad things can get.
In a series of Tweets, she exposed one email from an angry fan, who called her out for daring to talk about ‘male sports,’ Scott also revealed that it’s something she experiences on the regular.
“The saddest thing for me personally is the majority of mean messages I’ve received since landing in Philly haven’t been from the usual ‘old man yells at cloud’ club. They’ve been from college boys, young men, and other women. Granted, they could be aliases, but they seem legit.”
“I don’t know what that means, but it makes me sad. You’re an 18, 19, 25 yr old guy who feels comfortable saying awful things to a woman? You’re another woman who took time to write these awful things to me? I overanalyze, (but) just because you can hit send doesn’t mean you should.”
https://twitter.com/katetscott/status/1478415694773506050
Obviously, it’s a highly inappropriate and misogynistic email, and one that shows feelings like that are still present in today’s sports world.
Fortunately, fans and journalists have come together to support Scott for her performance and her patience in dealing with the haters — which is admirable, to say the least.
Going forward, it’s hard to say for sure that those comments will stop or even slow down. But the hope is that, with time, a culture of positivity and acceptance will far outshine hate-fueled individuals that can make life difficult for some.
