Online abuse of MLB players and their families is on the rise, and some who play the sport say betting is a cause.
Key Takeaways
- MLB players are speaking out about online abuse from disgruntled sports bettors.
- Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. recently hired security to help protect his family after receiving death threats.
- Players see this as a growing issue.
Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. recently hired 24-hour security for his family after receiving death threats after a bad performance, according to an Associated Press report.
While McCullers didn’t attribute the harassment to sports betting, Boston Red Sox pitcher Justin Wilson was one of what the AP called “many players” who believe disgruntled bettors are the ones sending abusive messages.
“You get a lot of DMs or stuff like that about you ruining someone’s bet or something ridiculous like that,” Wilson said. “I guess they should make better bets.”
Growing issue
Milwaukee Brewers veteran Christian Yelich said he’s “definitely” seen harassment grow over the last few years.
“It's increased to the point that you're just: 'All right, here we go.' It doesn't even really register on your radar anymore,” Yelich said. “I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. You're just so used to that on a day-to-day, night-to-night basis. It's not just me. It's everybody in here, based on performance."
Sports betting now operates legally in 38 U.S. states, with Missouri joining the list in December. More Americans than ever are participating in wagering and even placing live bets in games they’re attending. Players say they frequently hear from bettors in the stands while they’re on the field.
Scary situations
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene told the AP that he deleted his social media because of messages from disgruntled bettors.
"I'm off (Instagram),” Greene said. “It sucks, but it's the world we live in, and we can't do anything about it. People would DM me and say nasty things, tell me how bad of a player I am, and say nasty stuff that we don't want to hear."
Last season, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Logan Allen detailed a situation in which a fan was so upset over a lost bet that he followed Allen home to harass him. Other players told stories of receiving messages on social media and money requests on Venmo to cover lost bets.
Following the death threats made to McCullers, the Astros contacted MLB and Houston police, who told the AP that there is an ongoing investigation into the harassment. McCullers immediately hired security to help protect his wife and two young daughters.
“You have to at this point,” McCullers told the AP.
Raising awareness
Players say they want more attention on the issue to help combat the problem. Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendricks also recently received death threats and said that while he reported the harassment to the team and MLB security, “nothing ends up happening.” The abuse occurs again the next night.
“Enough is enough. At some point, everyone just like sucking up and dealing with it isn't accomplishing anything,” Hendricks said. “At some point, someone has to make a stand. And it's one of those things where, the more eyes we get on it, the more voices we get talking about it, hopefully it can push it in the right direction."
