Encouraging students to cyberback as sports betting leads to cyberbullying against student-athletes
Be sure to check out the suggested Huddle question at the bottom of this article to discuss this important topic with your students in class, if you feel it is appropriate.
From early morning practices to late-night games, student-athletes face the pressure to balance their dual roles as college students and athletes, all while managing academics and social lives. Now, with the rise of online sports betting, online harassment is hitting student-athletes harder than ever.
With this rise in online sports betting, fans and students are winning but mostly losing their very real money, and they turn to social media to vent their frustrations on platforms like Instagram and X, often targeting specific student-athletes with insults and threats. This has led to an increase in cyberbullying against student-athletes, prompting the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to take action.
The NCAA, which oversees more than 520,000 college athletes, has responded to this growing issue by advocating for the elimination of player-specific bets, or player prop bets, in college sports to reduce targeted harassment.
With 60% to 80% of high school students reporting that they participate in sports betting, this activity not only impacts student finances but can also impact student-athletes’ well-being through online abuse. Educators can empower students to combat this by encouraging them to cyberback or support student-athletes and report abusive behavior they see on social media. By making high-character choices and engaging in cyberbacking, students can help flip the script on cyberbullying and create safer online spaces.
The NCAA’s fight against online harassment
In a bid to shield student-athletes from harassment, the NCAA is gearing up to roll out resources, including workshops, on navigating cyberbullying and sports betting. The NCAA is also campaigning for laws aimed at outlawing specific types of sports betting from college-level competitions. At the forefront of this campaign are “prop bets”— wages centered around the performance of individual athletes in a game. The NCAA says these bets heighten the risk of online harassment targeting specific athletes. When bettors suffer losses on these bets, they often resort to social media to lash out at the student-athletes, unfairly attributing their losses to the athletes’ performance. The organization’s campaign against prop betting has led to states like Ohio and North Carolina proposing bills to ban prop betting in college sports. Some states, like West Virginia, are even implementing systems to report sports bettors and ban them from further betting if they harass student-athletes.
The NCAA’s efforts against prop betting are supported by first-hand accounts from student-athletes who sports bettors have harassed for their performance, such as Armando Bacot. Bacot, a student-athlete for the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team, publicly revealed that he was harassed on social media by those who lost bets. He received over 100 abusive messages, and they negatively affected his self-esteem about his performance: “I thought I played pretty good last game, but…I got like over 100 messages from people telling me I sucked and stuff like that because I didn’t get enough rebounds.” Accounts like Bacot’s show that the harassment from bettors online takes a toll on student-athletes by making them feel bad about their athletic abilities and causing them stress.
By hearing the stories and first-hand accounts of student-athletes, educators can empower students to speak out against cyberbullying online and cyberback. Educators can also keep in mind that while not every student-athlete may be facing harassment from sports bettors, nearly 42% of students have been cyberbullied, with 25% experiencing it repeatedly. Understanding our students’ experiences online is crucial so that we can better support and equip them with the tools they need to thrive online, offline, and cyberback.
Educators can also remember that while not every student-athlete may be facing harassment from sports bettors, a significant 42% of students have encountered cyberbullying, with 25% experiencing it repeatedly. As educators, we can huddle with our students to understand their online experiences to effectively support them and provide them with the necessary tools to cyberback.
What the data says
The NCAA collected student insights and data throughout the 2023-2024 sports season. The data found that prop betting is directly linked to student-athletes experiencing high amounts of harassment online. On average, one in three high-profile athletes is harassed online by prop bettors, and over 540 abusive messages related to betting are sent to student-athletes in basketball alone.
During the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships this year, over 54,000 posts and comments online were flagged for potential abuse or threats against players. Four thousand of these posts were confirmed to be abusive or threatening, and some even had to be reported to law enforcement.
Student-athletes face online harassment fueled by the accessibility of platforms such as FanDuel and DraftKings. This exposure frequently leads to financial setbacks, prompting students who lose bets to turn to platforms like Instagram to express their frustrations. The NCAA’s survey revealed that a significant portion of these underage bettors are losing anywhere between $10 and $300 per day. Despite being below the legal age, students continue using apps and online gambling platforms, facing consequences as a result.
Additionally, apps like Fliff and PrizePicks allow students to gamble with virtual, fake money. These apps classify themselves as sweepstakes contests and fantasy games rather than betting sites, meaning students can play them even in states where sports betting is illegal. Because of apps like this, where real money doesn’t have to be used, sports betting is becoming more accessible to younger students. In a national survey from the NCAA, 58% of respondents had placed at least one bet in sports despite being underage.
And though students may hope to make money through sports betting, studies show that the average Gen Z student spends around $1,885 while gambling online, ultimately losing money rather than gaining. Students hoping to have fun with sports betting often don’t succeed either; gambling can be fun in the short term, but it leads to debt and stress in the long run. Even apps designed to be like games can have challenges. Though some apps use fake money, students can still become addicted to gambling, eventually transitioning to real-money betting. This can result in financial losses and significant stress for the individuals involved.
Students experiencing stress and financial loss may become more angered by losing bets, which can lead to them lashing out at student-athletes online. Students can avoid the negative effects of sports betting online by choosing not to engage in it. They can also cyberback the student-athletes who are being affected by betting-related harassment.
If students choose to participate in sports betting when they reach legal age, having the skills to do so in high-character ways can foster online spaces that are more positive and encouraging for both students and student-athletes.
TSI’s Take: How to empower students to cyberback
While sports betting is commonly seen as a form of entertainment and a way to potentially earn money, it presents challenges for both participants and the student-athletes affected by it. We know that, like social media, sports betting probably is not going away, so it’s important to empower and equip students to participate in sports betting in high-character ways if they choose to participate. By fostering open dialogue about sports betting, educators can empower students to make positive choices online and cyberback. Here are some tips to empower students to engage in cyberbacking online:
Cyberback Online Whenever Possible: Encourage students to foster a positive, supportive social media presence and to cyberback student-athletes (and others online) whenever the opportunity arises. They can make supportive posts, send messages of encouragement, and report instances of cyberbullying and harassment when they see them online.
Educate Students on the Risks of Sports Betting: Empower students to share what they know with peers, friends, and family. Many students may be unaware of the challenges of online gambling or the fact that prop bets are causing bettors to harass student-athletes. When students share this information with others, they spread awareness about sports betting and cyberbullying, empowering more people to avoid participating in these practices.
Remind Students That They Aren’t Alone: Remind students that they aren’t alone in resisting the negative effects of sports betting or handling online harassment. Encourage students to seek support and guidance from trusted adults if they are struggling with the effects of gambling or encounter online harassment, such as abusive messages being sent to student-athletes. The added support can help them avoid the dangers of sports betting and foster a safer and more positive environment on social media.
Empowering students to navigate sports betting and combat online harassment against student-athletes is essential for protecting all students’ well-being and many of their finances. It also helps to make social media a more supportive and encouraging place. By encouraging students to cyberback, educators can empower students to protect themselves and confront instances of cyberbullying online. For more information on empowering students to navigate the world of online sports betting, check out our #WinAtSocial Lesson on “Peeling Back the Curtain (and Unlikely Odds) of Online Gambling.”
#WinAtSocial Huddle Question
Huddle with your students
What actions can we take to create a more positive and supportive online community for everyone?
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.