NCAA says online abuse related to sports betting declined during this year's March Madness
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Online abuse related to sports betting decreased during the NCAA's March Madness basketball tournaments compared with the prior year, but people involved in the competition still received more than 3,000 threatening messages, the NCAA said Tuesday.
The NCAA hired Signify Group to monitor messages directed at athletes, coaches, game officials, selection committee members and others with official roles in the tournament. Signify used both artificial intelligence and human analysts to confirm the threats and, when necessary, report them to law enforcement.
Overall, abuse related to sports betting was down 23%, the NCAA said in a news release.
The men's March Madness bracket was notable this year for the scarcity of upsets, with all four No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four and Florida, a popular pick to win it all, claiming the national title. On the women's side, three top seeds made the national semifinals and No. 2 seed UConn, among the pre-tournament favorites, won the championship.
The NCAA's analysis found that overall, abusive statements directed at people involved in the men's tournament increased by 140% — much of it directed at the selection committee and coaches — while abuse related to sports betting was down 36%.
Abuse was down 83% on the women's side and betting-related abuse declined 66%.
One women's player who was targeted online was Chandler Prater of Mississippi State, who was guarding Southern California star JuJu Watkins when she suffered a season-ending knee injury.
'I received all kinds of messages, so many of them hateful and abusive,' Prater said in a statement. 'It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before.'
Signify's AI flagged more than 54,000 posts, and its human analysts confirmed that 3,161 messages were abusive or threatening, the NCAA said. Those messages were reported to social media platforms and occasionally to law enforcement. The reporting led to the removal of abusive posts and restrictions on social media accounts.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said he has made curbing online harassment a top priority.
'We have been encouraged to record a reduction in sports betting-related abuse and threat at the 2025 event,' Signify CEO Jonathan Hirshler said, 'as this is often the trigger for the most egregious and threatening content we detect.'
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
8 minutes ago
- CBS News
Mets beat Nats, 5-0 as Peterson pitches 1st complete game
David Peterson pitched a six-hitter for the first nine-inning complete game of his professional career, and the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 5-0 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight win. Brandon Nimmo homered twice and Juan Soto went deep against his former team for the second consecutive night. Pete Alonso put the Mets ahead in the first inning with his major league-high 63rd RBI, his 20th in the past 10 games. NL East-leading New York moved a season-best 20 games over .500 at 44-24. Peterson (5-2) won his third decision in a row, striking out six and walking none in a game that took just 2 hours, 16 minutes. He threw 106 pitches and lowered his ERA to 2.49. Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor threw out Luis García Jr. trying to score from second in the eighth on Jacob Young's sharp single. Peterson's only prior professional complete game was a four-hitter in a rain-shorted, five-inning loss to Atlanta on April 28, 2023. His previous nine-inning complete game came in college, a four-hit shutout for Oregon against Arizona State on April 28, 2017. New York's previous complete game was a four-hit shutout by Luis Severino against Miami last Aug. 17. Peterson pitched the seventh shutout and 14th complete game in the major leagues this season. Washington has lost four straight and seven of nine. Soto, who played for the Nationals from 2018 until he was traded to San Diego in August 2022, followed Francisco Lindor's double off Jake Irvin (5-3) with his 13th homer, a two-run drive on a hanging curve in the third. Nimmo homered in the fifth off Irvin and in the seventh against Jackson Rutledge for his eighth career multihomer game. Irvin allowed four runs, five hits and three walks in five innings. He has a 10.29 ERA in the first inning this year and has given up 13 homers in 13 starts. Key moment Soto's drive over the right-field fence was caught on the fly by a young fan wearing a baseball glove. Key stat Alonso tied for the most RBIs by a Mets player in a 10-game span during a single season. He matched Mike Piazza (1999 and 2000), Yoenis Céspedes (2016) and Lindor (2022). Up next Mets RHP Kodai Senga (6-3, 1.59), the NL ERA leader, and Nationals RHP Michael Soroka (3-3, 4.86) start Thursday afternoon's series finale.
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
DHS releases video of agents arresting suspect who allegedly assaulted border patrol officer
Video shows the moment the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested "a violent rioter" in Los Angeles accused of punching a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared video of the chaos on X, showing two HSI vehicles blocking a white sedan before officers got out with guns drawn. "This was no hit and run," DHS wrote. "This was a targeted arrest of a violent rioter who punched a CBP officer." DHS said HSI tried to arrest Christian Damian Cerno-Camacho for the assault, and he attempted to flee in the vehicle. Cerno-Camacho was arrested and taken into custody, the video shows. "Our officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murder[er]s, rapists and gang member[s]," DHS said. "[DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem's message to the LA rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Riots across Los Angeles erupted Friday, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted operations targeting criminal illegal aliens at businesses across the city. About 45 people were arrested in several locations, including two Home Depot stores, a store in the fashion district and a doughnut shop. Among those arrested was 49-year-old Cuong Chanh Phan, an illegal alien from Vietnam with a criminal history that includes a conviction for second-degree murder. Phan was convicted of shooting up a high school graduation party after a dispute, killing an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old. Seven others were injured in the shooting, according to DHS. The FBI also announced it was looking for Elpidio Reyna after he allegedly assaulted a federal officer during one of the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles. Reyna was allegedly captured on video throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles on Alondra Boulevard in Paramount, California, resulting in an injury to a federal officer and damage to government vehicles. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CBS News
12 minutes ago
- CBS News
Rookie Marcelo Mayer homers twice to help Red Sox hold off Rays 4-3
By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer Rookie Marcelo Mayer hit two of Boston's four solo home runs and the Red Sox outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Wednesday night. Abraham Toro added a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning, and Jarren Duran also hit one to help Boston earn its second series win over the Rays this season. Walker Buehler (5-4) allowed three runs off six hits over seven innings and struck out seven to earn his fifth victory since coming off the injured list on May 20. Aroldis Chapman pitched a scorelless ninth to get his 12th save. Yandy Díaz had a two-run homer for Tampa Bay. Zack Littell (6-6) lasted six innings, yielding eight hits and striking out six. It was just the third time in 19 games that a Rays starter has allowed more than three earned runs in 19 games. The Red Sox needed their bullpen to get out of a late jam. With Boston leading 4-3 with one out in the eighth, Tampa Bay loaded the bases. But Greg Wiessert struck out Matt Thaiss to end the threat. Key moment After Duran opened the game with a first-pitch homer, Mayer added his own in the second inning, hooking Littell's slider 418 feet over the wall in the right field corner. Two innings later, Marcelo hit his second of the day, this time roping a 410-foot fastball from Littell that landed in nearly the same spot as his first. Key stats At 22 years and 181 days old Mayer is the youngest Red Sox player to have a multi-homer game since Rafael Devers in 2018. Up next LHP Garrett Crochet (6-4, 2.35 ERA) gets the ball when the Red Sox open a three-game series with the visiting New York Yankees on Friday. RHP Taj Bradley (4-5, 3.95) opens the Rays' three-game series in New York on Friday against the Mets.
