Adoration and abuse : how virtual maltreatment harms athletes

Athletes are increasingly viewed as celebrities and adored by millions. This adoration takes place not only within sports grounds, but now also in online environments. However, the increased virtual presence of athletes continues to have a darker side. A recent study by anti-racism in football group Kick It Out into the social media abuse of English Premier League clubs and players revealed that there had been approximately 134,000 discriminatory posts between August 2014 and March 2015. This equates to an average of almost 17,000 abusive posts per month