The plan to end unprecedented anonymous, vile abuse aimed at Australian basketballers online

36ers star Dejan Vasiljevic has copped countless vilifying messages during his career, but one in-person interaction prompted the sharpshooter to act. Now, the code’s governing body is taking action to protect its stars.

Fed up Australian basketballers have welcomed a move to tackle “vile” online abuse via an app whose founder is determined to make a difference after having a young family member attempt suicide due to cyber bullying.

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Code Sports can reveal the NBL, WNBL and Basketball Australia have joined forces with Social Protect, an online safety platform helping athletes, teams and organisations protect themselves from harmful online interactions.

Social Protect – founded and created by CEO Shane Britten – is a real-time platform that identifies and removes abusive comments across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Discord by tracking over two million abusive words and phrases in more than 100 languages.

The timing of the partnership is of paramount importance given online abuse aimed at Australian basketballers has never been more frequent.

Dejan Vasiljevic has been subjected to several abusive messages online. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images for NBL

NBL and WNBL players told Code Sports how death threats, racism, sexism, abuse and misogyny is rife and a daily occurrence for some players.

Sports gambling interest in the NBL space has increased significantly in recent seasons on the back of the competition’s rise

Bets involving individual players are particularly problematic, but the abuse extends beyond being motivated by gambling.

Adelaide 36ers sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic has been subjected to countless vilifying messages throughout his career, including death threats, and says the time has come for authorities to crack down harder to “stop the abuse”.

“The fact that some people think it is OK to jump on social media and message us directly saying, ‘you’re s**t’ and ‘go kill yourself’ just shows that people live a very sad life,” Vasiljevic said.

“These people trolling shows how badly they were raised, they have no life and they have their own mental issues. It is just sad that insulting others can bring you happiness.

“I’ve had days that haven’t been good or life isn’t that good, but I don’t take that out on another person.

“S**t days happen and I know that everyone is human.

“I get worked up about it. I’ve had cracks at me, but if you include my mum or my family, I will take it to the highest possible level and you will face the consequences.”

WHEN ABUSE GOES PUBLIC:

Abusive comments aimed at athletes aren’t just confined to the online space, as Vasiljevic discovered playing for the Forestville Eagles during an NBL1 game earlier this year.

The Sixers star was constantly copping abuse from a fan sitting courtside.

It’s alleged that the fan in question even attempted to change his appearance to attend more games after Vasiljevic made his initial compliant to match security.

“(They were) coming at me during the game saying, you are a pussy, a b**ch and your mum raised an idiot,” Vasiljevic said.

Censored versions of hurtful messages received by NBL players on Instagram

Vasiljevic has had abusive spectators removed from venues. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

“I couldn’t take it any more. I told the security on the sideline: either you guys deal with this maturely or I will deal with it.”

Fortunately, NBL1 officials intervened after Vasiljevic reported the abuse to Basketball Australia’s Integrity Unit and the fan was banned from attending any of the guard’s NBL1 games.

“You can’t run,” he said frankly. “Once we find out who you are, there ain’t no running.”

MISOGYNY RIFE:

Female basketballers receive significantly more abuse compared to their male counterparts.

Males mostly get abused if they have a poor performance, but research has shown female athletes cop abuse if they perform well, if they don’t play, if they are too athletic, not athletic enough.

“It is a deeper misogynistic thing rather than just being performance based,” Social Protect founder Britten said.

There are countless examples of this abuse across the WNBL over the years, most recently via Perth Lynx forward Anneli Maley.

The Paris 3x3 Olympian shared a disgraceful DM she received from a troll via Instagram, accompanied with a sarcastic response: “Aww cute, love my supporters”.

The message is too graphic and inappropriate to share publicly, but it highlights the serious nature of the abuse.

Perth Lynx star Anneli Maley was targeted by a social media troll.. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

A vile message received by Anneli Maley on Instagram

Vasiljevic is an NBL star, but he is equally passionate about the women’s space and pushing for action against the trolls.

“If you trolled my sister or partner I would take drastic actions to find you,” he said.

“That is a female and a lady and you don’t do that, but it shouldn’t happen no matter who you are.”

Jennie Sager, WNBL CEO, said creating an online environment where athletes, especially female athletes, can express themselves knowing they have strong, proactive support behind them is important.

“Female athletes are targeted with nearly 20 per cent more online abuse than their male peers, and 85 per cent say it impacts their wellbeing,” Sager said.

“That’s a reality we refuse to ignore.

“Our partnership with Social Protect is a decisive step in standing up for our players.

“It gives them the tools, protection and confidence they deserve, so they can own their voice online, and not be silenced by those hiding behind keyboards.”

BIGGER PICTURE:

Shane Britten felt “powerless” when a family member attempted suicide following a relentless barrage of social media abuse.

The year was 2021 and the ramifications of the cyber bullying left Britten’s family broken and battling for answers.

But he was determined to help and with some encouragement from former Wallabies rugby union coach Michael Cheika, with whome he had worked before, Britten created the free Social Protect app.

He started out with Football Queensland before luring global powerhouses as commercial partners in the WNBA, NBA team the Dallas Mavericks and UK’s Olympians.

Michael Cheika (C) is the brains behind Social Protect. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Now Britten’s Social Protect app has joined forces with the NBL, WNBL and Basketball Australia in a bid to make a difference in Aussie hoops.

“If any player is struggling with online abuse, I’ll give them a licence on the spot – this isn’t just a commercial thing,” Britten said.

“This is about trying to save that next family which goes through this.

“We also want to protect the young kids who look up to these athletes, so they can one day join the same leagues without a fear of being subjected to similar online abuse.”

Social Protect will become the official online safety partner of the NBL and WNBL, providing players, coaches and officials with access to tools and education designed to monitor, detect and delete online harassment and abuse across social platforms.

It also provides individuals with a “quarantine zone” to review removed comments and escalate serious threats to league officials and/or law enforcement when needed.

Users can also create custom keywords and set filtering controls to tailor protections around personal preferences.

The platform’s education hub further equips athletes with practical resources to strengthen digital security, manage privacy and engage positively online.

David Stevenson, NBL Group CEO, said the partnership reinforces the league’s commitment to player wellbeing and inclusion across all levels of the game.

“The wellbeing of our players and the wider basketball community is always our highest priority,” Stevenson said.

“Partnering with Social Protect allows us to proactively address one of the biggest challenges facing athletes today and provide real, tangible protection from online abuse.

“It’s a partnership that reflects our values as a league: inclusion, respect, and care for the people who make our sport what it is.”

The Social Protect partnership also extends to the state level NBL1 competitions, ensuring athletes, coaches and referees throughout the NBL ecosystem are supported through the app’s cutting-edge monitoring and wellbeing technology.

Vasiljevic couldn’t be prouder to see basketball connect with the Social Protect app.

“Even if we change the level of abuse by one per cent, two per cent, that is a win,” he said.

“Because who knows what online abuse could look like in 20 years and we have to act now.”

Originally published as The plan to end unprecedented anonymous, vile abuse aimed at Australian basketballers online