Beyond the comments: How athletes navigate social media

Online abuse in sport is not new. A standout performance, a national call up or a medal-winning moment can instantly reach thousands.

But that exposure can just as easily turn hostile.

A mistake or an underwhelming performance can be met with criticism that feels personal, anonymous and unfiltered.

When Wales football international Hannah Cain spoke about the "really ugly" abuse she faced online, she was articulating something many athletes experience but do not always publicly address.

Her message resonated far beyond women's football where visibility, particularly for young athletes, has never been greater, but neither has their vulnerability.

"There is no room for any kind of abuse, hiding behind a keyboard every single week and targeting the same player regardless of underperforming, performing or over performing isn't acceptable on any platform," she posted on social media.

"You never know what a person is going through. Enough is enough."

But it's not just football.

Tennis player Heather Watson said she receives abuse "daily" and even received a death threat - the first of many - aged just 18.

"You can't just ignore it because it's everywhere."

Sports psychologist Dr Mikel Mellick summed up the inevitability of the scrutiny that comes with social media.

Social media has removed many barriers that once existed between players and fans, where now criticism is not confined to the pitch but appears beyond through a screen – sometimes relentlessly.

"As an athlete, you're constantly under judgement. Judgement from your peers because you're in competition for selection and by coaches and managers," he said.

"Then you introduce social media where the fan isn't just shouting from the stand but can write without any justification and offer opinion without any right of reply. That's perceived as a significant threat."

That constant exposure can have a subtle but significant impact.

"I saw many athletes go through that process of scrolling and only ever focusing on and recognising the negative comment, which might be one in 50," Dr Mellick said.

"But that's the one they hook onto and concentrate on, and it starts to sap your level of motivation, it decreases your confidence, enjoyment of the challenge and can start to impact not only on performance but also mental health."

World darts champion Luke Littler is all too familiar with this spotlight.

After reclaiming his Premier League Darts title, he admitted there were times he had wanted to stop playing because of the abuse he had faced.

"After Brighton and the incident in Manchester, I was sat at home saying to Faith [his partner] 'I don't want to do it any more, [it's] just the crowd every week'."

TNT sports presenter Laura Woods was left to conclude: "One thing we do really badly I think, is we build them [young athletes] up, we shoot them down."

For younger athletes entering elite sport, that adjustment can be particularly sharp.

Careers that once developed gradually are now exposed instantly. A breakthrough performance, a mistake, or even a minor incident can quickly become public discussion.

Tennis player Katie Boulter found out this harsh reality when she faced death threats after losing a tie-break at the French Open last year.

At the time she felt social media abuse was becoming the "norm" for athletes. But speaking to BBC Sport a year later she feels conditions where an athlete no longer have to endure this abuse remain a "work in progress".

"I don't think that's something that's just going to happen very quickly. It's a problem we've had for a very long time," she said.

"I see improvements. We are moving in the right direction, but there's still a lot of work to be done."

Joe Towns, a senior lecturer and sports TV live producer with more than two decades of experience at the BBC and Sky Sports, says this level of exposure and visibility is unlike anything seen before.

"It's never been easier for an athlete to communicate with their fans," he said. "But it's also never been easier to make a mistake, say the wrong thing or upset a certain segment of society. It's not hard to offend these days."

Saracens rugby player Georgia Evans discovered this when she faced online abuse for the colour of her hair bow while playing – utterly unrelated to her performances.

It can all prove too much. To cope, some athletes retreat, like footballer Brennan Johnson, who deactivated his Instagram in 2024 so he could focus on his football.

But stepping away from the spotlight can come at a cost, particularly in sports where athletes are heavily reliant on exposure to build careers - and income.

"There are sports where you don't earn football wages so you need to cultivate an online following just to attract more marketing opportunities and brand opportunities," said Towns.

MMA fighter Dakota Ditcheva described how that pressure to build an online profile makes it difficult for up-and-coming athletes to switch off.

"[As] fighters [we] struggle with that. If we don't keep posting and keep our accounts engaged, then promotions don't want us and we don't build our name," she said.

"It would make a lot of difference for fighters if they didn't have to stay active in that crucial [fight] week."

While abuse can be persistent, the response from athletes is evolving.

Some young athletes are finding ways to withstand the noise, such as Formula E driver Ella Lloyd who says she "just laughs" at negative comments, while Olympic gymnast Ruby Evans, who is competing at this year's Commonwealth games, is clear in her response: "They can't do what I do."

Rather than simply enduring social media, many are shaping their visibility and Dr Mellick believes this shift is partly generational.

"Having grown up with this technology, [younger athletes] are better able to adapt to it. They have a better knowledge and understanding and appreciation for it," he said.

"They don't see it as an immediate threat response. It's something they're familiar with. They have a better understanding that social media is not fact-based. It's a form of entertainment.

"They can then also look to explore it in more positive ways."

Cardiff City midfielder Eli King is one such example. During his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury last season, he launched Justaquickconvo, a series of social media podcasts focused on mental health in sport.

King says he hopes he is using his platform in a positive way and though being initially unsure about sharing his experiences, he has said the response has confirmed to him the importance of using visibility positively.

"People reaching out to me explaining their stories and maybe their struggles and why me trying to do something like this is helping them. Once I received that reception, it was worthwhile," said the 24-year-old.

"Everyone has their problems and struggles. If one person can watch that [his content] and feel encouraged to call their mate the next day, that's sort of my job done."

Dr Mellick sees this response as significant.

"From research we know that athletes sharing their struggles online has been a really impactful measure to break down stigma associated with mental health issues," he said.

"It has increased help-seeking behaviour, particularly in males, and created better and safer conversations around mental health and well-being."

Exposure is inevitable but with that, increasingly athletes are learning not just to survive and deal with the noise from social media but inspire change through their platforms.

They are helping to reshape what visibility can mean in the hope that even small actions can shift behaviour.

As Cain said: "If I can make people think before they write something, I will."