NCAA campaign curbs betting-related abuse toward athletes

The NCAA’s latest ad campaign made a noticeable dent in abuse toward players during March Madness, but the problem didn’t disappear.

It doesn’t erase what athletes like Gabby Thomas and Lance McCullers Jr. have faced recently, but for the NCAA, it’s a step in the right direction.

As sports betting continues its nationwide surge, March Madness remains one of the industry’s crown jewels. And ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the NCAA rolled out a PSA urging fans to, in short, not be complete losers.

“There’s losing and then there’s being a loser. Gametime comes with enough pressure. Way too often, people are betting on sports, losing, and taking it out on the athletes. Only a loser would harass college athletes after losing a bet, but it happens almost every day. Root for your team, get crazy when the buzzer sounds, but don’t harass anyone because you lost a bet. It’s time we draw the line and put an end to the abuse,” the ad states.

According to the NCAA, the campaign ran during both the men’s and women’s tournaments and is part of a broader push to curb abuse aimed at student-athletes.

And statistically, the message appears to have landed, at least in part.

A study conducted by the Signify Group, a data science firm hired by the NCAA, used AI to monitor over a million comments on X, Instagram, and TikTok. The results, as shared by ESPN, showed a significant drop in abuse aimed directly at athletes during March Madness. Just 15% of flagged abuse was targeted at players, down from 42% the previous year. Betting-related abuse also dropped by 23%.

But the hate didn’t disappear.

Much of it simply shifted, particularly on the men’s side. Social media abuse aimed at coaches and tournament officials surged up 140%, with a large portion of it directed at the selection committee.

“There was a lot in there that was directed at the NCAA committee from the outset of March Madness, with some of the bubble teams and who got in and who got out; couple coaches’ changes that happened throughout March Madness seemed to trigger a lot of abuse, as well,” Clint Hangebrauck, managing director of enterprise risk management for the NCAA, told ESPN.

North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham, who chaired the men’s selection committee, reportedly received “hundreds” of angry, profane, and even threatening emails after the Tar Heels barely made the field.

While it’s encouraging that student-athletes received less abuse this March, the findings suggest that the pressure and toxicity haven’t gone away. It’s just found new targets.

Signify flagged more than 3,100 abusive or threatening posts and referred 10 of the most serious cases to law enforcement.

So yes, the ad may have worked. But if fans are just redirecting their rage toward coaches and committee members, the problem isn’t solved; it’s just repackaged. The NCAA deserves credit for trying, but the reality is that as long as gambling is this accessible, and outcomes this personal to bettors, the abuse isn’t going anywhere.

You can draw the line, but it doesn’t mean people will stop crossing it.