It’s a tough video to watch, and that’s the point. In a new viral PSA the website Just Not Sports asked a group of men to read a selection of abusive, hate-filled tweets that were sent to two well-known female sports writers. The twist? The men had to read the tweets directly to the reporters, face-to-face.
The two reporters, Chicago-area sportswriters Julie DiCaro and Sarah Spain, can be seen reacting to the cruel words.
Some of the early examples include: “One of the players should beat you to death with their hockey stick,” and “I hope your dog gets hit by a car.”
Many of the men found it increasingly difficult as the language grew more personal, and more violent. They all seem to struggle to make eye contact, becoming visibly upset in some cases with the nature of the comments. The tweets were filled with personal attacks, anti-women views and wishes for the women to be harmed physically.
The video ends with the men apologizing to the reporters for the tweets, clearly disturbed by what they’ve read.
The two-minute video, along with the hashtag campaign called #morethanmean is an attempt to shed light on the problem of online harassment of women in sports - something that many in the profession experience as a daily reality.
The video ends with the message: "we wouldn’t say it to their faces, so let’s not type it."
Erin Andrews, a Fox News sportscaster who recently settled a stalking suit, posted an emotional response to the video.
Tears running down my face. My everyday. Let's stop this. Thank you @SarahSpain @JulieDiCaro #MoreThanMean https://t.co/Cu1fjh3wwM
— Erin Andrews (@ErinAndrews) April 27, 2016
Others appeared not to have gotten the message. On Wednesday, Spain and DiCaro tweeted several hateful messages sent to them in response to the video.
@SarahSpain Do men get sick and threatening tweets. Womans in sports ask to be treated equally but play the weak woman role when entering
— JustThinkin (@JustThinkin2) April 27, 2016
Do I seem weak to you @justthinkin2? You're the one hiding behind a fake account. https://t.co/aXmEDHc6uh
— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) April 27, 2016
@SarahSpain @MusicloveJAE @JulieDiCaro @jemelehill So I guess men don't receive nasty, hateful, tweets on social media, only women. Got it.
— Rob (@BigPoppaPumpOly) April 27, 2016
Who said that? I don't recall saying that. https://t.co/63Ze6HhB9Y
— Julie DiCaro (@JulieDiCaro) April 27, 2016
Whole lot of guys completely missing the point of #MoreThanMean. My experience doesn't take away from yours. https://t.co/vDV5NcjX1y
— Julie DiCaro (@JulieDiCaro) April 26, 2016