Social media abuse in sport, special investigation: Nicky Winmar and Nova Peris unite to tackle trolls

[D.B.Cooper]

Olympic gold medallist and ex-federal Senator Nova Peris wants online trolls and racists banned from attending AFL matches for life.

Peris - the mother of St Kilda rookie Jack Peris - has joined forces with Saints great Nicky Winmar in a campaign for zero tolerance in the fight against match-day and social media abuse.

“There is no room for racists or bigots in the AFL - or any other sporting code - in our society,” Peris says.

“Racism is debilitating and has lifelong impacts and will never go away until harsh penalties are enacted to show how fair dinkum we are to eradicate it.

“Let’s stand up and say ‘enough is enough’ and let our sporting heroes give their all.”

AFL players’ union data shows 16 per cent of men’s players - about 130 across the competition’s 18 clubs - are experiencing trolling and abuse ‘most days’.

The AFL said it had worked with clubs to cancel 10 club memberships since 2019 because of online vilification but revealed it was unable to make reports directly to police without a player agreeing to pursue charges.

Hawthorn star Chad Wingard - a victim of online racial abuse - wants social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to enforce stricter user verification systems.

“We are seeing something said every couple of weeks, whether it is at the game or online.

“It’s ridiculous and very hurtful to see,” Wingard said.

Peris - a member of the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Olympic Committee indigenous advisory boards - posted an online petition in the days after Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was subjected to vile racial abuse on Facebook last month, collecting more than 20,000 signatures in support of lifetime bans for racism.

She said it was up to governments and sporting bodies to enforce harsher penalties.

“How many times and how many chances do we give to the perpetrators of racism who get slaps on their wrist?

“These perpetrators hide behind the ‘oh, I didn’t know how offensive it was’ or ‘I have an Aboriginal friend, so I can’t be a racist’ or the ole ‘sticks and stones, toughen up’, from the white football supporters who have never been racially vilified in their lives,” she said.

Peris, 52, was the victim of “vulgar online racial abuse on Facebook” in 2016.

“He was arrested within days due to an online petition. He fronted up to court and was found guilty and handed a suspended prison sentence of eight months,” Peris said.

Adding his voice to Peris’s cause, Winmar, called for the social media platforms to take ownership of the issues their companies are encouraging.

“Social media is a horrible thing,” Winmar told Code Sports. “I’m not on it. I never want to be on it because there are just negative people out there who like to think it is fun and games to bag people and put them down

“If you have those issues go and find someone to help you. We have helplines and that.

“Just don’t go to the sporting complex or go online to abuse indigenous people. We went through a lot but it is different to what today is.

“I’d just try and not worry about it (social media), I would get off it or block those people (but) it is still there, it still hurts.

“But we will get there, don’t worry, everybody is caring, everybody is loving and that is the main thing.

“It is up to the company that owns these social media platforms as well, block them or ban them and don’t let them back on

“They keep coming back on with a different name, you are self-harming yourself and hurting other people so it just has to stop.”


WHAT IS THE AFLPA DOING?
AFL Players’ Association boss Paul Marsh said social media presented “great opportunities but also serious challenges for modern-day athletes”.

“The benefits of these platforms are significant – they can bring fans closer to the game, connect them to their favourite players, create more engaging content, and help sports grow through commercial opportunities for players and the codes they represent,” Marsh said.

“With that comes risks and the social media abuse of our players is of serious concern.

“We believe in celebrating our players. They are both the AFL’s product and labour – they risk everything and push themselves to the limits every week so we can be entertained.

“What we’ve seen in recent years, anecdotally and through the data we collect, is how problematic online harassment and abuse has become, particularly for our AFLW, Indigenous and multicultural players.

“No one deserves the vitriol we have all seen sent their way online – be it racially motivated, harassment based on gender, or because of the gambling habits of fans. Vilification in any form, online or otherwise, should never be tolerated.

“We also believe in education. Using these moments as learnings and opportunities to teach others why this behaviour isn’t acceptable in society is critical.

“We implore fans to understand how hurtful some of the words they’re using online and sending to our players are.

“If we’re all more mindful of this, we can build a safer online space, healthier workplaces for our members and hopefully a better society.”

The AFL has signed an agreement with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to help improve online safety for players.

“Increasingly, we’re finding the cheapest seats in the house are behind a keyboard: as the game has moved online, it’s unleashed a torrent of abuse which can be very personal and unrelenting,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant declared last year.

POWERLESS TO STOP IT
But Tanya Hosch, the AFL’s general manager of inclusion and social policy, revealed the league’s ability to pursue keyboard warriors was limited.

“Incidents get reported to integrity and if it is a race related issue, it will come to me … and then we start the process about what can be done - but unfortunately, because we are a sporting code, our jurisdiction is pretty limited even if we are able to locate the person,” Hosch said.

“Integrity can’t refer (directly) to Victoria Police - we would support a player to make a police report - but unless the report comes from the player - it can’t even come from a club - they won’t take it any further because they need a witness to be able to pursue a matter.”

Charges were laid in one case two years ago, when an Essendon fan made online threats to Richmond triple premiership star Dylan Grimes.

Police raided the supporter’s home, seizing his phone and laptop, before charging him with stalking and using a telecommunications device to menace and harass.

Police view many of those involved in such behaviour as the kind of people who would never commit an armed robbery or burglary.

The offenders think their actions are not comparable but, in some cases, they can inflict terror on their victims in the same way a more violent crime might.

Some of them believe fake profiles buffer them from being held to account.

Many of the victims suffer lasting damage and police encourage anyone in that situation to come forward.


DO THE POLICE HAVE ANY POWER?
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force took any threat seriously, whether they be a sporting identity, celebrity or any other member of the public.

She said those cases were investigated fully.

“Anyone seeking to cause harm needs to remember there are serious consequences to their actions, which can have devastating effects for victims,” the spokeswoman said.

She said offenders needed to understand that their online conduct was “real life”.

“And there are real consequences to their actions which include criminal charges,” the spokeswoman said.

“People might believe that using a fake profile or not posting under their real name gives them some kind of indemnity, but it doesn’t.

“The behaviour is criminal and police will hold these people to account, which is what the community expects of us.”

Hosch revealed instances of racial trolling tended to “escalate” during the AFL’s annual Sir Doug Nicholls, recognising and celebrating indigenous players and culture.

“With all the work that goes into addressing racism … it tells me that we still have a long way to go,” she said.

Richmond chief marketing officer Simon Matthews said Grimes’ “courage to stand up in the face of some very serious abuse” had sent an important message.

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“When the line is crossed - where possible - there must be implications,” Matthews said.

“All our players and coaches need to be supported - we don’t accept what they are sometimes subject to and we will work with the AFL to hold people accountable wherever possible.”

Matthews said the Tigers encouraged their players to “talk to our fans on social media and the vast majority of those interactions are respectful”.

“We support players to engage as safely as possible and that means ensuring they understand the functionality of platforms that can protect them from abuse. We run training sessions, particularly with young players, as does the AFLPA.

“Beyond that it also means - where possible - holding people to account. In conjunction with the AFL we work to track down these people and there are implications. That can be anything from membership cancellation to police involvement - those decisions are taken in conjunction with the AFL”.

The AFL integrity department attempts to identify the owner of social media accounts by examining its followers and cross checking names in membership databases and club mailing lists.