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June 14, 2024
A recent report titled ‘Braving the Backlash: How Sports Brands Can Take a Stand on Social’ by We Are Social, is helping sports brands stand up to hate online. With the year of sporting events soon kicking off with Euro 2024 and the Paris 2024 Olympics, the report intends to give brands the tools they need to challenge abuse on social media.
Based on research by the English socially-led creative agency, it’s more likely that a surge in online hate around racial, sexual and gender discrimination will occur during major sporting events. It explains that marginalized communities often feel attacked and unsupported by brands who are quick to include them in advertising but ignore the abuse they receive online due to a lack of tools on how to respond.
“While sporting occasions give us much to celebrate, it’s sadly a fact that they also lead to an increase in hate speech. We see this throughout the season and it’s also true of bigger global sporting events. For brands who are involved in sports, whether that’s through athlete sponsorship or marketing campaigns, it’s essential to be prepared, and we’re here to help brands do exactly that,” said Dan Parker, group editorial director at We Are Social Sport.
According to equality and inclusion organization Kick It Out, reports of online abuse increased by 279% in the 2022-23 football season. Another study identified around 200 posts classed as homophobic or racist during the 2022 World Cup. Additionally, a recent Loughborough University study found that one-third of posts in relation to the Olympic Games contain negative content targeting athletes and sporting stars.
‘Braving the Backlash’ explores how sports and other brands can effectively prepare for and take a stand against social media hate during the 2024 summer of sport. It wants to help brands publicly confront online hate by advocating for anti-hate policies, with guidance on how to create and display them. As part of this, it details a ‘Three Rs Model’ – Remain, Reply and Report – to help brands and community managers successfully categorize and respond to online hate speech. This leads to a collaborative phase which explains how to co-create and work or stand alongside others from affected communities. The final step in the report details the actions brands need to take depending on the issue, from separation to deliberation.
“This approach will lead to stronger relationships with their communities and with their creator partners, as well as helping make social a better place to be for everyone. Brands are powerful, influential and can lead change on social media if they choose to help turn the tide of online hate,” said Charlie Cottrell, executive editorial director at We Are Social.
The agency launched the first iteration of the report in 2018, designed to help brands that run diversity-focused campaigns respond to online hate. The new report builds on the original framework for a broader sporting audience.
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