England and Chelsea soccer star Lauren James leads campaign to end online hatred of female soccer players

Social media can be a great way for teams and athletes to expand their fan base. However, many athletes, particularly women, are the targets of persistent toxic comments. Facing a notable increase in negative social media related to women’s football, UEFA Women’s Champions League final sponsor Visa has recruited English national football and Chelsea star Lauren James as a spokesperson of its campaign to drown out hatred with powerful messages. Support.

According to Dr. Lauren Burch who studies digital and social media communication and marketing within the sports industry. “Online abuse is a widespread problem, not only in sport but in the professional world. There are deeper issues in the online communication process, where gendered structures within sport and perceived anonymity make people less incentivized to post abusive or hateful messages.

Visa, UEFA’s first-ever dedicated sponsor of women’s football in 2018, conducted its own research into social media abuse related to women’s football. Their findings show that almost one in ten (9%) online comments at recent international tournaments were hateful, equating to more than 38,000 posts across the UK, France and Spain.

With its ‘Visa Pep Talks’ social media campaign, Visa is seeking support from the UK and international community to increase online support for women’s football to quell the negativity.

Lauren James, a 22-year-old professional footballer and striker for the Chelsea club and the England national football team, has been awarded the PFA Young Women’s Player of the Year for the 2022-2023 season. She was also named Chelsea Player of the Year for 2023-24.

James’ personal experience with toxic comments motivated her to start this initiative. She recently told me: “Unfortunately, this has happened to me too many times and it will continue until people talk about it openly. »

James admits she has “received a lot of negative comments on social media – racism most of the time”. I’ve learned ways to cope better when faced with it, but that doesn’t make it more acceptable.

I asked James how the negative comments affected him personally. “I’m someone who always just wants to play football, so I try not to let the outside noise get to me. I like to stay grounded. However, she also admits that “negative comments have harmful consequences and can be mentally exhausting.

Toxic social media posts can overall affect performance and even ruin an athletic career.

James talks about his ability to move past that and block out the comments, saying that hate “actually makes me more motivated to prove these people wrong and show them who I am and who I stand for.”

She continues: “It’s not beautiful, of course, it’s never easy to see and read. To block it, I generally try to surround myself with positivity by filtering what I do and what I don’t see or read and focusing on positive comments from my fans. The messages of support from them and the team around me give me the motivation to go out there and give my best.

James recognizes that his fans and their messages mean everything. “They keep the game alive and give me courage.” She attributes much of her success to her support network of family, friends and teammates.

Dr. Burch confirms that positive comments can potentially reduce the effect of online hate. “Encouraging women to share their personal stories and experiences can encourage positivity to counteract negativity. That’s why this campaign is so powerful in tackling abuse and shows how sharing statements of support and acceptance can elevate the achievements of women in sport and throughout professional life.

Kim Kadlec, Chief Marketing Officer of Visa Europe, said: “We have witnessed the unwavering impact that positive messages of support have on athletes. We are therefore proud to come together to recognize the incredible achievements of women, both in sport and in sport. in business, to build a future of which we are all proud.

Acknowledging that she was lucky that her journey coincided with an increase in the number of people watching women’s football, James shared that the large audience has a positive effect on the game. “It’s important that we have a platform to showcase our successes, as it encourages female players to do the same and inspires new talents to pursue their dreams.”

James stressed the importance of positive messages. “Visa found that four in five women (80%) agree that positive messages of support help to empower them. This shows how much of a difference a word of encouragement can make not only to female footballers, but to women in all professions. Positivity must always rise above hatred.

Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Championship League Final, Visa is encouraging people to share their positive messages of support on DAZN’s FanZone digital experience, which brings fans together to engage and interact throughout the tournament.

Bonnie Marcus, M.EDis the author of Not finished yet! How women over 50 are regaining confidence and claiming power in the workplace And Promotion policy: to what extent the most successful women progress and stay ahead. Executive coach and speaker, Bonnie is also host of the podcast, Badass women at all ages.