Too feminine, too masculine. Hair too short. Too much makeup. Too muscular. Too skinny. Too outspoken. Too aggressive.
Who would be a sportswoman in today’s landscape? In the eyes of some so‑called fans, they can’t do right for doing wrong.
In 2025 women’s sport took big strides — England defended their Euros title, the Red Roses won the Rugby World Cup at home, and individuals from Beau Greaves to Lottie Woad enjoyed breakthroughs. Yet many athletes climb their ladders while being subjected to abusive comments and threats off the field, creating another layer of pressure.
When Wales and Saracens’ Georgia Evans was criticised at the Women’s Rugby World Cup simply for wearing bows, she refused to stay quiet. A social post showed her with pink bows and comments attacked her appearance. Evans said she rewrote her response “1,000 times over” before posting that the game “allows space and room for every boy and girl, whatever their haircut, body shape or look they wish to wear on and off the field.” She added: “What I look like, what I wear, how I choose to present myself has no bearing on my ability.” Thousands of supporters turned up to Wales’ next match wearing bows in solidarity — a memorable moment but one Evans felt should never have been necessary.
A Women In Sport survey found the number of girls dreaming of being professional athletes has fallen to its lowest since 2020: just 23% of girls now aspire to sporting glory versus 53% of boys. Teenage girls reported feeling they don’t belong in sport, worry about body image and safety, and 70% avoid sport during their period. Former Wimbledon champion and coach Marion Bartoli, who works with teenage girls, sees social media’s damaging effect firsthand. She worries the next generation may not “survive that many comments and judgement constantly.” Bartoli knows the harm of public appearance‑based criticism — she was publicly derided after her 2013 Wimbledon win — and has experienced stalking, recalling a man following her around the grass‑court season in 2007.
Criticism can escalate beyond insults. A WTA/ITF report said 458 players were direct targets of abuse in 2024; leading names have reported death threats and explicit images from trolls. The report found 40% of social media abuse came from frustrated gamblers. At Indian Wells in March, Lucrezia Stefanini revealed she received WhatsApp threats including a photo of a gun and details about her family. Emma Raducanu was visibly distressed at the Dubai Tennis Championships last February when a fixated man in the crowd forced her to hide behind the umpire’s chair; he was later given a restraining order after following her between events. Bartoli called such incidents chilling and remembered being given extra security after her own stalking scare.
Major tournaments can amplify abuse. FIFA found one in five players at the 2023 Women’s World Cup received discriminatory, abusive or threatening messages; players at that tournament were 29% more likely to be targeted than those at the 2022 men’s World Cup. Moonshot, a UK threat monitoring service, recorded some 3,000 hostile or concerning social posts directed at England during the 2025 European Championship final. England defender Jess Carter stepped back from social media during the Euros because of racist abuse; a 60‑year‑old man who admitted sending her abusive messages received a suspended prison sentence. Cricketer Sophia Dunkley says protecting her online space — locking down comments, limiting who can message and keeping a close circle — helps maintain focus on performance.
There are signs of systemic response. The Online Safety Act 2023 imposed duties on platforms, but critics say measures don’t go far enough for female athletes. In June 2025 Sport England’s chair raised concerns with Ofcom about racist and sexist abuse of England Women’s players. Ofcom recommended tech companies adopt measures to tackle misogyny, stalking and harassment, including prompts to reconsider harmful messages, stopping payments for posts promoting abuse, diversifying recommended content to avoid “toxic echo chambers,” and allowing bulk blocking of accounts. Meta highlights tools to filter offensive comments and messages, limit who can comment or DM, hide comments from recent or non‑followers, block new accounts and use “Restrict” to limit unwanted interactions, and says it works with women’s safety groups to remove abuse.
Not all athletes are equally affected by online hate. Charley Hull, a world‑class golfer, says she isn’t bothered by critics and posts what she wants, refusing to shape herself to others’ expectations. Marion Bartoli is encouraged by players who remain authentic — Aryna Sabalenka’s personality and Coco Gauff’s confidence, inspired by Serena and Venus Williams, show that success and individuality can coexist. “We want more diversity of personality, style, body shape, anything that makes someone feel more comfortable,” Bartoli said.
But the reality remains that abuse, stalking and threats are not mere background noise to performance; they affect safety, mental wellbeing and identity. Athletes ask that attention focus on what they achieve, not how they look. As Evans put it, female athletes “stand together” and will not tolerate personal attacks or comments about appearance. When lines are crossed, she said, “that’s when we need to bind together.”
Sky Sports says it is committed to making its channels free of abuse. For more information, visit www.skysports.com/againstonlinehate. If you see hate in replies to Sky Sports posts, copy the URL, screengrab it and email [email protected].
Come back on Wednesday morning for the next instalment in the ‘Beyond The Noise’ series featuring champion boxer Mikaela Mayer.